Running Scared
by firespaws
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata has been plagued by nightmares, all taking place at a summer camp, and each growing more and more terrifying as time goes on. When she finds herself at that very camp, what horrors will be in store for her and her friends? KibaHina AU
1. A Dream

**A/N:**

Hey eveyone, I'm finally back. ^^

I started this story while I was away at summer camp and completely forgot about it T-T. So, yesterday, I was cleaning out my computer and came across it. Seeing as tomorrow is Halloween, I decided to post the first chapter, to see how many people will like it. I know this first chapter is INCREDIBLY short but I'm not even half way through the second chapter, and it's over 1,000 words. I'm hoping that I can start averaging at least 3,000 words per chapter, but we'll see how that goes, me being lazy and all...

**Main Pairing**: KibaHina with a few side pairings I haven't decided on yet. The Rookie Nine (Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, etc.) Are all 18 in this fic. TenTen, Neji, Lee, etc. are all 19.

**Rating**: M

**Warning**: There will be plenty of character deaths and a lot of violence/gore and possibly some yaoi in later chapters so if you don't like that stuff, I'd advise you to hit your back button and choose a different story ^^

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Running Scared

Chapter 1: A Dream

An old, wooden sign swung back and forth, creaking on its hinges. 

'That's strange,' the young girl thought, unable to look away, 'There's no wind today...'

Everything else was still. The leaves on the trees seemed to be frozen in place, and she herself could not feel the breeze.

Something about the barely visible letters on the sign drew her in. Squinting her eyes against the harsh sun, she could barely make out, 'Camp Ayakashi'.

'Camp **Ayakashi?** It sounds so familiar, where have I heard it before?' the girl pondered, rereading the name again, her mind puzzled. 

The old sign swayed again, the creaking becoming louder now. And still, there was no wind. The girl was about to ponder over this again when she heard a loud crash from the large building behind her. Fearfully, she turned around, her heart racing. There was no change in the building. The windows were a dark, inky black that prevented her from seeing inside. 

Though she knew it was futile.

Nervously, she turned back to the sign. She had to muffle a scream at what she saw. 

A young girl, even younger than her, was sitting on top of it. Her eyes seemed to have been gouged out, replaced by bloody sockets with still-fresh blood running down her cheeks. Her mouth was stitched closed, the stitches continuing up her cheeks to give her a twisted smile. She was wearing a black-stained dress that went well with her head of wild, tangled black hair. Her skin was a pale gray color and she was covered up to her elbows in blood. In her hand, she held a long, sharp butcher knife that was stained crimson. 

The girl somehow met the other's terrified gaze and, if possible, grinned. She wiped the blade past her mouth and spoke in a cold, high-pitched voice that seemed to be transferred straight to the other's mind, "Welcome to Hell."

Hyuuga Hinata woke with a start, finding herself in a sitting position. Sweat ran down her face and back and she was shaking uncontrollably. She was gasping for breath as if she had just run a marathon and her heart was pounding painfully against her ribcage.

'It was...just a dream...' she assured herself, running a hand through her long, dark hair. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. However, the girl's face jumped out at her again and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming in terror. Fear froze her veins like ice and she was finding it impossibly hard to think straight.

'Just a dream...just a dream...' she repeated mentally, trying to calm herself, 'It was just a dream, nothing more.'

Finally, after what felt like hours but could have only been mere minutes, she was able to calm down. She let herself fall back onto her bed, a sigh escaping her lips. This wasn't the first time the young girl had haunted her dreams. In fact, if Hinata really took the time to think deeply about it, she would find that this was the seventh. However, in the state her mind was in-or, rather, recovering from-she had no intention of trying to remember such things.

Exhausted by the many sleepless nights she had been experiencing, she drifted back into a deep, dreamless sleep, finding peace at last.

******************************************************************

"Hinata-sama? Hinata-sama!"

A voice called to her. Though she was aware of this, Hinata clung to the cover of sleep with all her might. However, as the voice continued, she could see and feel it slip through her fingers like water. Finally admitting defeat, she opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama." Her cousin Neji's face hovered about a foot above her own.

Hinata tried her best to ignore him, turning her face into her pillow.

"Hinata-sama..."

"It's too early to be morning," Hinata muttered, her reply muffled by her pillow.

"It's twelve in the afternoon."

Groaning slightly, she lifted her head.

"Are you alright, Hinata-sama? You're acting strangely."

She sighed and rolled over, sitting up, "I'm sorry. I did not sleep well last night."

"The nightmares came back?"

Hinata flinched and met his even gaze, confusion glittering in her own, "How did you-?"

"You talk in your sleep sometimes," Neji told her, "Especially when you have one of those nightmares. I can tell when it's the same nightmare, you say the same thing."

"What did I say this time?" Hinata's face felt hot with embarrassment.

"You kept muttering 'Camp Ayakashi' and then you began shaking uncontrollably. It looked like you were trying to scream."

"Oh..." The dream was coming back to her and she suddenly felt very cold.

Oblivious to this, Neji straightened up and said, "Breakfast is ready downstairs. Uncle wants to leave around four-four thirty. Are you packed?"

Hinata nodded absently. She had been trying to forget. For two months of the summer, her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, had signed her up for summer camp. Of course, she welcomed the idea of spending time away from home. There was nothing to do there. Now, an icy dagger stabbed her heart every time it was mentioned for only one reason. The camp she would be attending was the very same camp that she had been dreaming about for the past three weeks.

Camp Ayakashi.

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A/N:

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please, please review! I've never written a Horror/Supernatural story before so I'm going to need a lot of help through reviews for this one! If anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone has any suggestions for me, please tell me! I'm completely open for anything :)

Sorry that some characters are going to seem OC...I tried to make thier normal personalities fit in with the plot line, but I had to make a few minor changes. Hopefully it won't be too noticable but...I'm just giving you a heads up.

As for the name of the camp, I remember that it had some kind of significance but I can't remember it right now T-T If I do remember, I'll add it in the A/N for the next chapter.

Chapter 2 should be out either tomorrow or sometime this weekend, depending on how much time I have to work on it.


	2. Welcome to Camp Ayakashi

**A/N:**

Sorry for the wait everyone! I was so busy with schoolwork that I barely had time to work on this. T-T

For some reason though, I'm really not happy with this chapter. It just seems too longwinded and feels like it's not going anywhere. If you feel that way too, don't worry, though it may not seem like it, this story is going somewhere and I'm hoping that chapters will start getting better as the story progresses.

Anyway, a really special thanks to bubblegumchick34, dustori, and xShYgIrLx (who also contacted me through YouTube ^^) for reviewing! Thank you so much! It was your reviews that convinced me to continue this story ^^

**Disclaimer:** Yeah...I don't own Naruto T-T But I'm sure you have already figured that out. If I did...the anime/manga would be about Kiba and Hinata's love for each other rather than a blonde idiot (but I love him anyway XD)

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**Running Scared**

Chapter 2: Welcome to Camp Ayakashi

The car ride to camp seemed much shorter than usual. Hinata spent a bulk of the time staring out of her window, her stomach twisting uneasily. She had tried to convince herself that it was just a dream and didn't mean anything. Under normal circumstances, she would have accepted this. However, the fact that the very same dream continued to repeat itself was threatening to drive her over the edge.

After what seemed like mere minutes, the car came to a stop. Hinata remained in her seat, refusing to so much as bat an eyelash. Somehow, she had managed to convince herself that if she didn't move, much less leave the car, she would wake up from this new nightmare. The sound of Neji knocking on her window brought her painfully back to reality.

Grudgingly, Hinata exited the car and walked around the back to take her suitcase out of the trunk.

"Are you all right, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "And, could you please just call me Hinata? You know I don't like it when people attach sama to my name."

"But-"

"If you want to show respect, do so by respecting my wishes."

"Alright then, Hinata."

"Thank you."

She pulled the strap of her suitcase over her shoulder, took a deep breath, and faced the entrance of the camp. Only seconds after doing so, she found herself wishing she hadn't. The scene in front of her mirrored exactly what she dreamed of every night, with a few minor differences.

For one thing, the camp was not abandoned. In fact, it was far from it. Everywhere Hinata looked, she saw people weaving in and out of each other like the threads of a massive quilt. However, there was something strange about them that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was the older style of clothing they were wearing, or the fact that they all had dark hair and pale skin. She couldn't tell.

Deciding to ignore this, she turned her attention to the old, wooden buildings surrounding her. The windows of said buildings, through which Hinata could see even more people, were open and inviting. A familiar creaking sound filled her ears. She turned and focused on the old sign with the faded letters. This time, however, the young girl could feel the cool breeze caress her cheeks and blow through her dark hair.

"Hinata!" A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Turning, she saw her two friends, Sakura and Ino, running towards her.

"Hi Sakura-chan, Ino-chan," she greeted them with a smile, her troubling thoughts momentarily forgotten.

"You're finally here!" Ino exclaimed indignantly, "We've been waiting!"

"Gomenasai," Hinata apologized.

"Oh don't listen to her, Hinata," Sakura said, elbowing Ino in the side, "She's just grumpy. Come on, we'll show you the cabin."

"We're in the same cabin?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, and TenTen's with us too."

Hinata's mood brightened slightly upon hearing this. She had always liked Neji's classmate and secretly suspected her of having a crush on her older cousin.

"Here it is," Sakura said, stopping on the front steps of one of the old wooden structures.

Hinata entered and dumped her bag into the far left corner. Sakura propped the door open with her shoes to let the breeze in.

"Which bed isn't taken?" Hinata asked, gesturing towards the two sets of bunk beds.

"Well, Sakura and I took this set," Ino said, pointing to the beds aligned with the right wall, "And I think TenTen called tops on that one."

"Alright," Hinata sat down on her bed and sighed.

"Are you ok, Hinata?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, you just seem a bit distant today."

"I'm tired," Hinata replied quickly, "I haven't been sleeping well lately."

Well, that wasn't a lie.

"Oh, ok," Sakura bought it without question.

"What time is it?" Hinata asked Ino.

"It's six thirty," the blonde replied, "Dinner is at seven, so we have half an hour."

"Do you want to go over to the cafeteria and see if anyone's there?" Sakura asked, her question directed towards Hinata.

She nodded, "We might as well."

They left the door open to keep the room cool. Camp Ayakashi was over fifty years old and, in those fifty years, the cabins had never been renovated. They didn't have air conditioning.

"Is everyone here?" Hinata asked, trying to ignore the heat of the setting sun on her back.

"So far," Ino replied, pulling her long ponytail into a bun to keep her blonde hair off of her neck and back, "There are some older kids too."

"So that's all?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing, there were just a lot of people here when I arrived."

Ino and Sakura stopped walking.

"What?" Hinata asked, feeling nervous under their intense stares.

"Hinata…this camp has been basically deserted all day," Sakura informed her, "Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

A horrible chill ran down Hinata's back.

"F…fine," she lied.

"Ah, we just need to get some food in her stomach," Ino said, poking her friend and smiling.

Sakura didn't smile; she was still staring intently at the dark-haired girl.

Hinata laughed nervously, "D…don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'm fine, really. Ino-chan's probably right."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying it this time, but relented and said, "Ok then, let's keep moving."

The pink-haired girl continued walking, Ino following. Hinata followed more slowly. Though she didn't want it to show, she was terrified. She was so sure she had seen those people, as plainly as she could see her two friends in front of her. Something strange was going on.

Suddenly the sun didn't seem so warm anymore.

As they neared the cafeteria, Hinata paused to observe the area surrounding her. The main buildings of the camp, such as the main office, cafeteria, medical office, and club house formed a small semicircle with the old welcome sign still swaying merrily in its placein the center. Behind the buildings, the murky water of Lake Dekishi extended to the point where one could only see the faint outline of the opposite shore.

"Hinata, are you coming?" Ino's voice jerked Hinata from her thoughts.

"Yes," She replied and continued walking.

They reached the cafeteria in a matter of minutes. Like every other building in the camp, it was made of wood. However, the cafeteria was the oldest building, and it showed. The wooden boards were wearing away and the red paint that used to cover the entire structure was worn and chipped in too many places to count.

The rusted hinges of the door screeched unpleasantly as Sakura opened it and stepped inside. The inside of the building was bright as the sunlight filtered in through the open windows.

"It looks like everyone else had the same idea," Sakura commented.

Everyone was already there, sitting at the long tables and chatting amongst themselves.

"Shikamaru, Chouji!" Ino called, waving at her two male friends. She took Sakura and Hinata's arms and pulled them over to the table where they were sitting.

"Hey Ino," Chouji greeted the blonde, "Sakura, Hinata."

Hinata smiled in greeting, her usual shyness surfacing.

"Hey Chouji," Sakura said, "Is everyone here?"

"Yeah, we all headed over early because there was really nothing to do outside," he explained.

Suddenly, Ino nudged Hinata in the side and whispered, "Here comes Naruto."

Hinata's face turned scarlet as the blonde male approached.

"Ino, Sakura-chan, Hinata, you're here!" He exclaimed.

"H…hi N…Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered, inwardly cursing herself for her shyness.

Naruto tipped his head to the side, "Hey, Hinata, do you have a fever?"

"N…no."

"Hm…you should go to the nurse, your face is really red," He told her. He then turned to Sakura and said, "Anyway, Sasuke and I are sitting over there," he pointed to the end of the first table, "You can join us if you want to."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'll think about it."

"Alright then, I'll be right back!" He said, hurrying off.

"I honestly don't know what you see in him," Ino sighed, patting Hinata on the shoulder and shaking her head slightly.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her, causing Hinata to let out a squeak of surprise.

"Hey Hinata!" A familiar voice said.

She relaxed slightly, "H…hi Kiba-kun."

The brunette released her and stepped back. She turned to face him and he gave her a grin, which she returned with a small smile.

"Do you want to sit with Shino and I?" He asked, gesturing to the middle of the table where Shino was already seated.

"S…sure," She agreed.

Kiba and Shino were her best friends besides Sakura and Ino. They had been lab partners since their Freshman year and had been close ever since.

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, do you want to come?" Hinata asked.

"Sure," Sakura said, "It'll get me away from Naruto."

"I'll stay here," Ino said, "I need to ask Shikamaru something anyway."

Shikamaru sighed, "So troublesome…"

"Come on then!" Kiba grabbed Hinata's hand, who blushed furiously at the contact, and pulled her over to the table.

Hinata sat down next to Shino, who nodded in greeting. Kiba walked to the other side of the table and sat down across from her. Sakura took the seat between Hinata and Lee, who cheered upon finding that Sakura was sitting next to him.

"So, Shino-kun, how has your summer been?" Hinata asked the quiet male, trying to start a conversation.

"It's only been two weeks," He replied simply.

"Yes but-"

"Aw, Hinata, don't worry about him," Kiba cut her off, "He's just grumpy because he had to ride over with me."

"Three hours of your music and crazy driving? No thanks," Shino grumbled.

"Hey, next time, you can drive and we can listen to your music," Kiba said, "And I'm not a bad driver! So I like to drive a little faster than the speed limit, who doesn't?"

"Define 'a little faster'."

Kiba rolled his eyes and groaned, "I don't get it. This guy barely talks yet is a master at getting on my nerves!"

Hinata giggled as the brunette's exasperated expression.

"Wait, Shino-kun, why didn't you drive yourself?" She asked.

"My dad took away my keys," he explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah, he won't tell me why," Kiba whispered, leaning across the table, "I have a feeling he's in to drugs or something like that. I mean, with all of the baggy sweatshirts he wears, he could be hiding anything!"

Apparently, Kiba's whispering wasn't as quiet as he thought. Shino turned and sent him a glare. Or, that is, what Hinata would assume was a glare beneath his sunglasses.

Hinata laughed, "Kiba-kun!"

"Aw, come on, admit it, it's true!"

Hinata only laughed harder. That was one of Kiba's gifts. No matter what, he was always able to make her laugh. The terrifying thoughts of earlier seemed to disintegrate and her mood improved considerably. Kiba just grinned wider, happy to see her in high spirits again.

"Well, seeing as you're feeling better, what do you say to grabbing some food?" He asked.

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but an unusually loud roar erupted from her stomach, answering for her.

"Ok…I'll take that as a yes."

Hinata flushed with embarrassment.

"We'll come too," Sakura said, standing up with Lee and TenTen, with whom she had been conversing.

Shino also tagged along, not speaking a word as usual. At first Hinata had been doubtful that they would become friends. Shino was a very quiet person and Hinata was very shy. Thankfully, Kiba was loud and helped to balance them out. However, when she was alone with Shino, he would occasionally talk to her and offer advice. It didn't take long for them to feel comfortable around each other and to consider themselves friends.

Fortunately, they were the first group to approach the food table. Hinata piled her plate with fruit and a small wrap. She then took a cup and poured herself pink lemonade. Along with Sakura and TenTen, she walked back to the table. The rest of her classmates were making their way towards the food.

The food was surprisingly good. It wasn't greasy and slippery like the food that was served at Hinata's school.

'_Maybe Ino-chan _was _right_,' she thought, swallowing another mouthful of food. Now that her stomach was no longer snarling at her, she was feeling much better.

"Hey, can someone pass me a napkin?" TenTen asked.

"Sure," Kiba replied, reaching across the table. Clumsily, he knocked over Hinata's drink.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, getting up.

"Don't worry about it," Hinata told him, smiling in assurance, "I've got it."

She took the napkins that he handed her and knelt down to clean up the spill. However, as she did so, she noticed something was amiss.

The lemonade had lost its pinkish tinge, replaced by a dark crimson that oozed sluggishly over the wooden floorboards. Hinata froze.

It was blood.

She could only stare in horror, rooted to the spot, as the puddle grew. Inch by inch, it crept towards her, like a beast stalking its prey, preparing to pounce.

She could smell it now, the metallic tang filling her nose. Her throat constricted, making it difficult for her to breath. She felt like she was suffocating in the overwhelming odor of death and decay. It was only centimeters from her finger tips…

"Hinata? Are you ok?" A warm hand on her shoulder and a familiar voice brought her back to reality.

The blood turned back into lemonade and the pungent smell disappeared.

"I…I'm fine," She promised, beginning to clean the floor with the napkins. Kiba knelt down to help her, not asking any more questions. Hinata was grateful for this and relaxed slightly as she felt her terror dissipate.

"Are you cold?" Kiba asked.

Hinata blinked in surprise and looked down at her hands. She hadn't realized she was shaking.

"Y…yes," she lied.

"Here, wear this," Kiba said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.

Hinata stiffened in shock and her cheeks automatically turned crimson.

"Th…thank you, Kiba-kun," she stammered.

He gave her a wolfish grin in response. When they finished, he took the wet napkins from her and threw them away. Then, they both rejoined the group at the table

"Hinata, are you feeling ok?" TenTen asked, sounding worried, "You look a little pale."

"I'm just tired," she replied.

Sakura was staring at her intently again, but Hinata ignored her. She wasn't ready to explain anything yet. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to think she was crazy.

"Everyone, if I could have your attention please," a voice from the front of the room said.

Talking ceased and the building became quiet.

"Hello there, welcome to Camp Ayakashi," The man continued, "My name is Iruka and I am the head counselor. Now, I know that none of you want to sit and listen to a long introductory speech, so I'll be brief. For fifty years, Camp Ayakashi has provided teenagers such as yourselves with an escape from the boredom of home during the summer. Your counselors and I will be working hard to keep your days packed with fun, teambuilding activities. Breakfast will be at eight in the morning and the day will begin at eight thirty. So be sure to get some sleep. The activities of the day will be announced at breakfast and you will be given time, if needed, to return to your cabins to retrieve the items you need for these activities. Each cabin has a different counselor whom you will meet upon returning tonight. Are there any questions?"

Nobody said a word.

"Alright then, you are dismissed. Sleep well."

People began to stand up and leave.

"Come on, Hinata," Sakura said, "Let's find Ino and head back."

Hinata nodded, "Ok, goodnight Kiba-kun, goodnight Shino-kun."

"See you tomorrow!" Kiba said, grinning.

Shino just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ino! Let's go!" Sakura called, pulling Ino out of the group of people.

"Hey!" The blonde protested, "I'm coming! Don't pull so hard!"

Outside the sun had long since set, surrendering the earth to the shadows of night. A few lone stars shone faintly through the black sky. Hinata shivered and pulled Kiba's jacket closer around her body. It was then that she realized that she still had it. She blushed slightly but refused to think more deeply about it.

"Aw crap!" Ino exclaimed when they reached their cabin, "We left the door open! I bet there are bugs all over the place now…"

"Don't worry about it," TenTen said, "If there are, we'll just use our shoes to squish them."

Ino turned blue and didn't reply. Hinata laughed slightly. TenTen was one of the most carefree girls she knew. She was never bothered by bugs or mud, like most girls were.

Inside, there was a woman waiting for them. She had long, dark hair and piercing crimson eyes. Hinata, at first, felt intimidated but the woman smiled kindly as they entered the room and relieved Hinata of her anxiety.

"Hello," she greeted them, "I am Yuhi Kurenai and I will be your counselor. What are your names?"

"I'm Sakura."

"Ino."

"TenTen."

"H…Hinata," She mentally kicked herself for stammering. For as long as she could remember she had that problem. She had hoped it would eventually disappear as she aged, but it did no such thing.

"It's nice to meet you all," Kurenai continued, "Well, all I had to do was introduce myself, so I'll leave and let you sleep. I will see you tomorrow at the first activity."

She left without another word.

"Ok…" Ino said, "Weird…"

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm changing!" TenTen announced.

Hinata, Sakura, and Ino agreed and the four quickly changed into their nightclothes.

"I don't get why everyone keeps telling us to go to sleep, it's not that late!" Ino complained.

"Hey, I have an idea," TenTen said, "Why don't we tell ghost stories?"

"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Sakura agreed enthusiastically.

Hinata paled. The last thing she needed was a dose of ghost stories.

"I'll go first," Sakura offered.

Ino and TenTen sat down with her, Hinata reluctantly following suit, and formed a circle.

"Ok," Sakura started, "Once, there was this guy named Richard who had recently moved into a pretty run-down neighborhood with his parents. Their house was old and in great need of repair. None of the windows or doors locked properly.  
Richard began complaining to his parents that he had trouble sleeping at night because of the "scratching" noises in his room. His mom assured him that it was just rats, or some cat that had managed to get in. However, after turning on the lights and searching the room, no such animal was found. His parents told him to go back to bed.  
So, he went back to bed but was awakened almost immediately by the scratching. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he decided to ignore it and fell asleep again.  
Later, he didn't know how much later, he was once again awakened and sat up in his bed, crying out in pain. Something had bitten him in the middle of his back, which, of course, made no sense because he had been lying down. He went to go get his dad.  
His dad looked at his back. The wound looked nothing like a bite. It looked more like a puncture wound. So he turned on the lights and inspected Richard's bed. There was a hole in the fitted sheet and some of the mattress stuffing was showing through it. Richard suggested that maybe the spring had come through so his dad flipped the twin bed over to check. What he found was a long knife stuck in the mattress, pointing upwards. He also found mud and dirt under the bed, the exact length of a person. He immediately checked outside the window and found fresh footprints in the mud leading to and then away from the window.  
Someone had slipped into Richard's room through the window and lain under his bed. The scratching that he heard was the person using the knife to dig a hole through the box springs and mattress to kill him!"

Sakura finished her story with a smile. Ino and TenTen laughed while Hinata let out a breath of relief. If the following stories were the same, more amusing than scary, she would be able to handle it.

"Oh, come on!" TenTen said, "That was lame, I've got one that'll really scare you! Especially because this one is not only true, but it's about this very summer camp."

Hinata's stomach gave a great lurch.

Pleased that she had everyone's attention, TenTen began:

"It was fifty years ago, the first year that this camp was open. There was this girl, a few years younger than us, who was very beautiful. She had long, dark hair and sky blue eyes. Every boy at the camp was after her, to the point where even the male counselors became infatuated with her. However, one day, somebody took things too far.  
It was after the dance, in celebration of the camp's opening, that her friends noticed she was missing. They told their counselor, who quickly organized a small search party to look for her. The counselor assured her campers that the girl had just gone for a walk or something of the sort and would be back soon.  
However, when morning came, she was still missing. The search party grew larger and even included the surrounding forest in its search. She was still nowhere to be found.  
Three days later, the campers were swimming in Lake Dekishi. A few girls were playing the shallow water when one of them felt something cold brush up against her leg. She reached down and grabbed whatever it was and pulled the surprisingly heavy object out of the water. The girls screamed.  
It was the girl's body, pale, clammy, and covered in algae. There were gashes and cuts all over her body, and her eyes were gouged out. She had been murdered, brutally.  
An investigation was launched immediately, but the murderer was never found."

TenTen looked highly amused at the looks of fear on her friends' faces. Hinata, however, could not stop shaking. The girl in the story sounded exactly like the girl in her dreams.

"Hinata?" Sakura placed a hand on the dark-haired girl's back.

She tried to say "I'm fine" but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.

There was defiantly something strange happening at Camp Ayakashi this year.

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**A/N:**

Well, I hope you all liked it! As for the scary story Sakura told, I didn't make it up. My friend told it to me last year while we were at camp and I couldn't think of anything better to use. Trust me, I was up all night trying to find a really scary story but every one I read was really lame and dissapointing :(

Anyway, please, please, please review!

Thank you for reading!


	3. Trapped

**A/N:**

Ok...first off, I'm SO sorry that this chapter took so long to post! I really would have posted it sooner but schoolwork has been strangling me lately...

Though, in all honesty, I _have_ been working on this story almost the entire time. Since this is my first attempt at writing anything creepy, I feel like I've been trying too hard and have been failing so far. I realized that I didn't have a good grasp on the horror theme in it. So, to make my writing better, I decided to find out what scared me the most about horror movies. After all, if you write about personal experiences or your own feelings, your writing is much more believable.

I ended up watching over a hundred different horror movies (seriously, name one and I've probably seen it...), scared myself to death on some occasions (I can't go near my closet at night, I can't look under my bed, and I can't even _approach_ my attic, lol), but I think I have a better idea of what scares me, and I'm going to incorperate that into the story. If you read anything that sounds kind of like a horror movie you've seen, than that's probably where I got the idea. I'm trying not to directly take ideas because I hate it when people do that, but some of the story might reflect ideas from different movies.

Well, thank you so much for being so patient! And thank you to rapidraima, JapanAnimeRox, XShYgIrLX, dustori, bubblegumchick34, and MoonLiteDrifter, for reviewing!!

**Disclaimer:** Yeah...if I owned Naruto, why the hell would I be writing _fan_fiction?

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**Running Scared**

Chapter 3: Trapped

Hinata smiled softly and knelt down to smell the beautiful wild cosmos. She was standing in a sea of the pink wildflowers with the sun's warm rays on her back. A faint breeze blew through the field, caressing her face. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the perfect balance of heat and frigidity on her skin.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She reopened her eyes and focused her gaze on the newcomer.

It was a girl who looked like she was Hinata's age. She was beautiful, with long black hair that almost looked purple in the sunlight. Her vivid blue eyes were kind and she wore an amiable smile on her face. Hinata smiled back. She didn't know who the girl was, but there was a friendly aura about her that made Hinata feel comfortable.

The girl opened her mouth, as if to speak, but no sound came out. Hinata blinked and tipped her head sideways, puzzled.

Suddenly, the girl's eyes flew open and a terrified shriek escaped through her lips.

Then, before Hinata's eyes, long gashes appeared in her skin, staining her black dress with crimson.

Hinata watched in horror as the girl's eyes sunk into her skull, replaced by bloody sockets. Blood ran down her cheeks in small rivers. Her screams were cut short as her mouth was closed and stitched, and her sleek black hair became tangled and crusted with blood.

Then, everything stopped and Hinata was left facing the girl of her nightmares.

"Y…you…" Hinata stammered, trying to take a step back. Her legs weren't responding.

Fearfully, she looked down and felt her stomach lurch as she realized that her feet had been sewn to the ground.

"So, you came," came the all too familiar voice, "Even after all of my warnings…you foolish, foolish girl."

Hinata tried to reply, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a horrified gasp.

"I would tell you to go home, but I'm afraid that it's already too late for that," the girl continued, taking a few steps forward.

"W…what do you m…mean?" Hinata chocked out, feeling her entire body shake with fear.

"I mean, you can no longer leave," the girl advanced a few more steps, "You will never leave Camp Ayakashi, alive that is."

"D…don't come any closer!"

The girl laughed, "What's the matter, Hyuuga Hinata? Afraid?"

Hinata whimpered and tried, once again, to move. Her efforts were in vain. The girl's face was now so close that Hinata could smell her rotten breath.

The girl leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You can no longer escape from us."

The words sent a chill down Hinata's spine.

"U…us?" she stammered.

The girl chuckled and stepped back. The ground began to rumble and would have knocked Hinata off of her feet had they not been attached to the ground.

Something cold and slimy wound itself around her ankle. She screamed and attempted to shake it off. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She had a good idea of what the object was and, if her assumption was correct, she didn't want to look.

However, her eyes shot open as her other ankle was grabbed. The sight that she unwillingly saw sent horrible chills down her back. Two human hands were clutching her ankles, their skin gray and clammy.

"No!" Hinata cried as the rumbling increased. Human torsos seemed to burst forth from the earth beneath her feet, their arms wrapping around her waist and chest.

As she struggled, a chant resounded throughout the clearing

_You will never escape_

_You will never escape_

_You will never escape_

"No!!!" She shrieked thrashing frantically in their grip.

Hinata's eyes flew open. She was lying on her back in her bed, gasping for breath as if she had just run a marathon.

The room was still dark, the faint light of dawn slowly beginning to creep through the small windows of the cabin. The scene was so familiar that it was enough to make her heart jump. However, this was like no other nightmare she had had in the past couple of months.

This was real now.

She was about to get up and take a warm shower to calm herself down when she noticed an unnatural weight at the foot of her bed. Slowly, she raised her head and faced the figure sitting there, shrouded in darkness.

Reacting on instinct, Hinata screamed and lashed out at it, catching the figure with her foot and kicking it off of her bed.

There was a loud thud followed by a grunt.

"What the hell?!" Sakura's voice came from the floor.

"S…Sakura-chan?" Hinata stammered, sitting up.

"No, it's the boogieman," came the sarcastic reply, "Of course it's me!" Sakura was standing now, her silhouette barely visible in the darkness.

"I…I'm sorry! I thought…I thought you were…" She trailed off nervously.

"Thought I was what?" Sakura asked, sitting down next to her friend.

"Nothing…" Hinata murmured.

"Hinata, what's with you lately? You've been acting really strangely."

"I've been having nightmares," Hinata admitted softly, staring at her feet.

"Bad?"

She nodded wordlessly.

Sakura hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?

Hinata shook her head, "I don't really feel like it right now…"

"Alright," Sakura said, "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Ok?"

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Hinata whispered, hugging her back.

"Hey, that's what friends are for!" Sakura sat back, "Now, why don't you get dressed? Everyone is heading toward the cafeteria."

"This early?"

"The sun rises late and sets early here, remember?"

"Oh…right."

"Ino, TenTen, and I will be waiting outside," Sakura stood up and walked towards the cabin door, sending Hinata a reassuring smile over her shoulder.

Hinata returned it, thankful to have such great friends. She then got up and opened her suitcase to look for a pair of clothes. She threw on a tank top and a pair of shorts.

"Hinata? Are you ready?" Ino called.

"Coming!" Hinata replied, shoving her feet into a pair of her old sneakers and rushing outside to meet her friends.

"So, what do you think today's activity will be?" TenTen asked as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"Ugh, probably something really boring…" Ino predicted, "Seeing as it's the first day and all…"

"Aw, don't be such a pessimist! I'm sure it'll be fun," TenTen argued, frowning at the blonde.

"The first day of any camp is destined to be boring."

"Not necessarily…" Hinata protested.

"Yeah, Hinata here will be happy doing anything, as long as Naruto's there," Sakura teased, elbowing her friend.

"Th…that's not true!" Hinata stammered, turning red.

Sakura sighed sadly, "Hinata…don't take this the wrong way but…I don't think he's right for you."

"W…what do you mean?"

"Well…he's an idiot!"

"No he's not!" Hinata immediately jumped to his defense, feeling her ears burn with embarrassment.

"No normal person would stand on a table in the middle of lunch period with straws up his nose, boasting that he could drink an entire can of soda like that."

Hinata giggled slightly at the memory, "He was just being…"

"An idiot," Ino, Sakura, and TenTen finished for her.

"Well…maybe that time he–"

"And there was the time he wrote his _own name_ in graffiti on wall outside of the principal's office," Ino said.

"Don't forget when he tried to cheat on a biology test and forgot that he had smudged the answers and freaked out about it during the test, complaining about how he could no longer cheat, while the teacher was standing right in front of him," Sakura added.

"Well…that…"

"Oh, and when he tried peaking in the women's locker-room dressed up as a bush," TenTen put in, frowning, "That kid needs to get reality and movie life straight." **(1)**

"Well…when you say it like that…" Hinata murmured.

"Face it Hinata," Ino said, "He's an idiot!"

"Besides," Sakura said, "I know a guy who's so much better for you! You two would make the most perfect couple."

Hinata blinked, "Who?"

"You'll have to find out," Sakura said, smiling deviously, "Just look around, he could be anywhere."

"Sakura-chan! That's not fair!" Hinata complained, pouting at her pink-haired friend.

"Neither is life. You'll live," she patted her on the shoulder.

They entered the cafeteria, surprised to see that, once again, they were the last to arrive.

"Hinata!"

Hinata turned at the familiar voice. Kiba's eyes were wild with some form of excitement.

"Have you heard?" He asked.

"Heard what?"

"There was a tornado last night," Kiba explained, "The main road is completely blocked off by fallen trees and boulders!"

"Wh…what?" Hinata stammered.

"So this means we're stuck here huh?" TenTen asked.

"I guess so," Kiba confirmed.

"_You will never leave Camp Ayakashi, alive that is."_

Hinata started as her nightmare came back to her. The girl…the bodies…She inwardly shuddered.

"Hinata? You look worried," Kiba said, his own eyes becoming pools of concern.

"I was just…wondering about the…food," Hinata lied, thinking quickly, "Will we have enough?"

"Good point," Sakura agreed.

"I have no idea," Kiba admitted.

"It looks like Iruka-sensei is going to say something," Ino said, pointing to the front of the room.

"Everyone, if I could have your attention," the cafeteria fell silent as Iruka began speaking, "Last night, there was a storm that caused a tornado right outside of the camp. The main road has been blocked by the debris. Now, I don't want anyone to panic. Earlier this morning, we called the village located about seven miles south of here. They are sending a cleanup crew and should have the road cleared by the time this session is finished. We have plenty of supplies and food, so continue to enjoy yourselves, there is nothing to worry about. Thank you."

"It's really going to take them three weeks to clear off a road?" Ino asked.

"It must be pretty bad," TenTen said.

"Look at it this way," Kiba said, grinning from ear to ear, "If we break the rules, it's not like they can send us home."

"That's true," TenTen agreed.

"But it _is_ kind of strange," Kiba continued, "A tornado that appears right outside of a camp and only takes out the road? That doesn't happen too often."

"We were lucky," Sakura said, "Think about it, if it had come through the camp, we could have died!"

"I guess so…" Kiba still looked thoughtful.

"Don't think too hard," Hinata joked, trying to lighten the mood and force back the rising feeling of fear creeping up her spine, "You might hurt yourself."

Kiba frowned, feigning hurt, "Well, that wasn't very nice…"

Laugher resounded throughout the group and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," TenTen said, her stomach growling audibly.

Though Hinata felt like her stomach was made of lead, she forced herself to eat a small bowl of cereal to keep Sakura, who was still suspicious of her behavior, satisfied.

She ate as much as her stomach would allow her and ended up playing with the rest, stirring the milk with her spoon and letting her mind wander elsewhere. It wasn't until Sakura kicked her under the table that she realized that Iruka was addressing them again.

"-an introductory day, so there will be no multiple group activities until later," he was saying, "Within the next few hours, your counselor group will have the chance to get to know each other. Once each group finishes its activities, you will have two hours of free time to do with what you want. At around six, all campers will meet by the campfire. And that's all I have to say for now, so, have a good day!"

Hinata was vaguely aware of Kiba talking to her, but her attention was focused on one of the camp's chefs. The young woman had a worried look on her face, and it seemed as if she was looking for something.

"Hinata? Hinata! Earth to Hinata!" Kiba's voice brought her back.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, her mind in a daze.

"I asked you what your group is doing later," Kiba repeated himself.

"Oh, I don't know," she admitted.

"Well, my group and Shikamaru's group are going to play a game of flag football, if you girls want to join us."

"I'll ask them," she promised.

He grinned, "Great! I'll see you later then." He left without another word, following his group outside.

"Hinata!" Sakura called from the other corner of the room, waving, "Over here!"

Her friends had pulled a few chairs into a circle and were already sitting down with Kurenai. Hinata took her seat and asked, puzzled, "We're not going outside?"

"I thought that since every other group was going outside, it would be best to stay inside," Kurenai explained, "To limit distractions."

"I guess that makes sense," Hinata said.

"Alright, it seems to me that you four know each other pretty well," Kurenai started, "I, however, can't even remember your names from last night," she chuckled slightly at her forgetfulness before continuing, "So, we're going to play a little game so you can get to know me and vice versa."

She pulled out a ball of yard and tied the end around her finger, "Here's how to play," she began to explain, "I have the ball of yarn, so I have to tell you all something about myself. When I'm finished, I'm going to throw the ball to one of you. When you receive it, tie the yarn around your index finger and tell us something about yourself. Then you throw it to someone else in the group. We'll keep going until we run out of yarn, alright?"

Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and TenTen nodded.

"Alright then," Kurenai rolled the ball of yarn around in her hand, "As you know, my name is Yuhi Kurenai. And, I am currently engaged to Sarutobi Asuma, who is a counselor for one of the boy groups."

She threw the ball of yarn to Ino, who caught it and tied it around her finger.

"Um…I'm Yamanaka Ino and my parents own the largest flower shop in Konoha, and I sometimes manage it when they go away," Ino said. She threw the ball to Sakura.

"I'm Haruno Sakura and I've liked the same boy for over six years," Sakura said.

Hinata sighed silently. Both Sakura and Ino had been after Sasuke since their elementary school days. And they had the nerve to complain about her choice in boys!

Sakura threw the ball to Hinata.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata," she started, willing herself not to stammer nervously, "And…I…"

Before she could continue, the lights in the building shut off.

"Wha…what happened?" She gasped, startled by the sudden advance of the darkness.

Kurenai frowned, "The power went out…that's unusual."

She turned back to her group and gave them a reassuring smile, barely visible in the darkness, "You four stay here, I'll be right back."

She left without another word.

"What do you think happened?" TenTen asked.

"Maybe the lines are down from the storm," Sakura suggested.

"But that wouldn't make sense," TenTen disagreed, "If the lines had been taken down by the storm, the power would've gone out a long time ago."

"That's true," Ino agreed.

"Weird…" Sakura muttered.

The rest of their conversation faded away as Hinata's focus wavered. She stiffened and strained her ears. She was sure she had heard something shuffling along the wall behind them. Closing her eyes in an attempt to better her hearing, she focused harder. It sounded like something heavy was being dragged across the wooden floor of the cafeteria.

Opening her eyes, she turned toward the sounds, trying to catch a glimpse of the source. All she was met with was the darkness in the corner of the room. The shadows were unnervingly thick, to the point where Hinata couldn't see through. She squinted at the impenetrable darkness but could still see nothing.

And still the sounds came, closer and closer…

"Do you hear something?" She asked her friends, interrupting their conversation, which had switched to school.

They paused and listened.

"Nope, nothing," Ino said after about a minute of silence.

Sakura shook her head, "No."

"Both of you be quiet," TenTen hissed, glaring at them.

For some reason, Hinata's heart fluttered with hope. If TenTen could hear the sounds too, then it meant that Hinata wasn't going crazy.

They sat in silence for a number of minutes, barely daring to move. The tension in the room could be cut with a butter knife. Hinata could feel her heart pounding abnormally fast.

Then, without warning, the noises ceased altogether.

Finally, TenTen narrowed her eyes and said, "I thought I heard something, but I don't hear it anymore."

Sakura stared at her with a puzzled expression, "I didn't hear anything."

"Me neither," Ino said.

"It sounded like…" TenTen paused, searching for the right words, "Well…almost like something was either shuffling around or being dragged."

She turned to Hinata, "You heard it too?"

Hinata nodded.

Kurenai's return discouraged any further discussion.

"I just talked to Iruka. The power lines were cut, but they're still investigating the cause."

"Wouldn't it have been the storm?" Sakura suggested her theory.

Kurenai shook her head, "They don't think so. There are no fallen trees or branches near the place where the lines were cut."

"They could have snapped in the wind," Sakura tried again.

"Highly unlikely," Kurenai brushed it off.

"So…now what?" Ino asked, "What are we going to do without power?"

"Well, the group activities have been cancelled," Kurenai replied, "We need all of the campers to lend a hand."

"What do we need to do?" TenTen asked.

"Ino and Sakura, I want you two to go outside and help Kakashi with the generator and anything else he asks you to do. TenTen and Hinata, would you two go into the kitchen and help the chefs? They need to figure out what to do with the food in the refrigerator and freezer."

"Sure," Sakura said while the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Good, I'll see you later then. Iruka is trying to contact the cleanup crew. They may be able to bring supplies when they come, if we need them."

"Let's go," TenTen said, pulling Hinata towards the kitchen, "The sooner we finish, the more free time we'll have!"

Before she knew it, Hinata found herself standing in the decent-sized kitchen with TenTen and two of the cooks.

"Oh! You must be the campers Kurenai-san sent," one of them said, smiling sweetly. Hinata recognized her as the young woman she had seen after breakfast.

"Y…yes, I'm Hinata," she shyly introduced herself.

"I'm TenTen," TenTen said, returning the cooks smile.

"Ayame," she said, "And this is my father, Teuchi."

"So what do you need help with?" TenTen asked.

"We need to move the food out of the refrigerator and freezer into the freezer at the end of the hall," Teuchi said.

"But if they're hooking up a generator, wouldn't you be able to power both?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, but it will take up less power to only power the back freezer instead of both," Ayame explained.

"I guess that would make sense," Hinata mused.

"Here," Ayame handed each of them a box, "We've started boxing up the food so that it would be easier to carry. And be sure to keep the freezer door open while you're inside, the door is finicky and won't open from the inside. And, seeing as the freezer is all the way down the hall, we would have a hard time hearing you if you called for help."

"Comforting…" TenTen muttered.

Ayame and Hinata laughed.

"Alright then, let's get working, Hinata," TenTen said.

Hinata nodded and followed her down the long hallway to the metal door of the walk-in freezer. It was a large room with at least a dozen rows of shelves that were filled with food.

"It's cold in here," Hinata remarked, setting her box down and rubbing her bare, exposed arms.

"You c…can s…say that a…again," TenTen replied through chattering teeth, "R…ready for the n…next couple of b…boxes?"

"Y…yeah," Hinata's teeth joined in, "Let's g…go."

TenTen opened the door and stepped outside. Hinata began to follow when she heard a loud thud from the back of the freezer.

"T…TenTen? Hold on o…one second," She called over her shoulder as she began to search for the cause of the noise. The only response she received was the sound of the heavy metal door closing.

With a squeak of surprise, she hurried back to it, slipping and searching blindly in the darkness.

"T…TenTen?" She called, peering through the small window. There was nobody in sight.

"TenTen?" She tried again, knocking on the glass.

No answer.

No movement.

There was a crash at the back of the freezer.

"T…TenTen?"

A foul odor accumulated throughout the enclosed area.

"TenTen!" Her knocking became louder as the rustling in the darkness behind her increased in volume.

"TENTEN!" She shrieked, envisioning cold, clammy hands crawling up her body.

The sounds behind her increased and grew even louder as they seemed to move closer.

"Let me out of here!"

She was taken off guard as the door suddenly swung open, sending her staggering backwards.

"Hinata? Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Came TenTen's worried voice, "I put a box in front of the door to keep it open, but I don't know what happened to it…are you ok?"

"F…fine," Hinata replied, her teeth chattering violently.

"Here, let's get you out of the freezer," TenTen took her hand and pulled her into the dimly lit hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Are you sure you're ok? I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Hinata calmed her, "I'm fine. Let's keep working."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, come on."

Upon returning to the kitchen, Ayame handed each of them a flashlight.

"It's nearing noon and since the power went out, we're going to lose the direct sunlight in this part of the building," She explained, "The freezer is going to be pitch black. These should help."

They thanked her and finished their job without any further incident. They were then allowed to join the other campers for lunch.

The usual idle conversation of lunch was alight with excitement.

"You'll never guess what's happened!" Ino burst out as TenTen and Hinata joined her, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, and Shino at one of the tables.

"What could have possibly gone wrong now?" TenTen asked bitterly.

"Iruka-sensei tried calling that cleanup crew, and he can't reach them!"

TenTen dropped her fork, "What?"

"And what makes it worse is the phone lines are obviously down," Kiba added, "And cell phones will only last us so long."

"Is the generator working?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded, "We didn't have any trouble with it."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Hinata pointed out, "If the generator's working properly, then we can always recharge our phones."

"That's not the problem," Naruto said, "I was there when Iruka-sensei made the call."

He had the attention of the entire table.

"He's not worried about the batteries," he continued, "The problem is, not only was he unable to reach the cleanup crew, but he completely lost signal afterwards."

"That's impossible," TenTen protested.

"Apparently not," Sasuke said, taking out his own cell phone and staring at the screen with a grim expression on his face.

"Hold on a second here!" TenTen snapped, "First, a freak tornado takes out the road without even _touching_ the camp itself, then the power lines are cut by something other than the storm, and now we lose all outside contact? This is getting ridiculous!"

"Well, tornados are pretty common around here," Sakura pointed out.

"It's possible that something sharp was picked up by the winds of the storm and cut the power lines," Shino added, "And cell phone reception has never been particularly good out here. All of the frequency in the air may be affecting that even more than usual after the storm. I say give it a few days and everything will be back to normal."

"Shino's right," Hinata said, "Besides, whether Iruka-sensei was able to contact the cleanup crew or not, they're still coming."

"That's true," Sakura agreed, "They'll get here."

TenTen sighed, "Alright…I still think it's absurd, but I guess that makes a least a little bit of sense…"

Hinata put on a fake smile, "Don't worry. This camp is a normal as they get. It's all just a coincidence.

TenTen smiled her thanks for the reassurance and visibly relaxed. However, Hinata's stomach was churning nervously.

How she wished she could believe her own words…

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**A/N:**

**(1) **I have a friend who has done all of these things -_- He reminds me of Naruto so much, it's scary. Also, for Naruto-lovers, sorry that I made fun of him :P I tend to get annoyed by him easily because Hinata has a huge crush on him and doesn't pay attention to Kiba T-T

Again, I am SOOO sorry that this chapter is so late! I'm going to try to get the next one out by next week

Oh and here's the significance of the name Camp Ayakashi. Ayakashi is the Japanese word for a ghost appearing at sea during a shipwreck. That'll make more sense later...


	4. Nyctohylophobia

**A/N: **No, I'm not dead...

I'm really sorry that this chapter took awhile to upload. Over the past two months, I lost three family members, all of whom I loved very dearly. So...I haven't really been in the mood to write. And, seeing as not a single person reviewed the last chapter, I had barely any inspiration to work on this story anyway.

I finally chained myself to my desk (quite literally) and forced myself to finish this chapter so that I could post it, because, though it seems like nobody likes this story, I do, and I think that the ideas that I have for later chapters are good. So I'm going to keep writing it no matter what. But, if you do like it, please, please review. Even if you don't, please review and tell me. I don't want to waste my time trying to write chapters as fast as I can if nobody likes the story. But positive reviews, even if just one person leaves me one, will really make a lot of difference.

Well, that's all I have to say. I hope you like it...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto...

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**Running Scared**

Chapter 4: Nyctohylophobia

Takashi sighed loudly, pressing his forehead against the truck's window. It felt like they had been on the road for years.

"None of that," Kyoko snapped from the driver's seat, obviously as irritated as he was, "We're almost there."

"You said that an hour ago…" Daisuke complained from the backseat.

Kyoko gripped the steering wheel fiercely, seeming to bristle with rage. Takashi shifted closer to the window, well aware of her bad temper.

Daisuke's complaint was followed by a few minutes of tense silence.

"This does seem to be taking longer than it should be," Satoru spoke up for the first time, "Seven miles is a fairly short distance."

"We should have been there by now," Daisuke agreed.

Kyoko's knuckles were turning white.

"Hey guys, how about we all shut up for awhile," Takashi suggested hurriedly, sending the two other males a warning look.

They both glanced at Kyoko before nodding their agreement.

The brunette woman sighed and relaxed her grip, "I'm sorry you guys. I'm not a morning person…and the fact that I woke up early to get to that camp by noon isn't sitting well with me, especially now that it's two thirty and we still aren't there…"

"Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?" Daisuke asked.

"Not that I can remember," Kyoko replied, "I've been to the camp before…"

"How long should it have taken?" Satoru asked.

"Only around twenty minutes on this road."

Satoru's gaze returned to the scenery outside of his window, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Have you tried calling the camp's head supervisor?" Daisuke addressed Takashi.

"I tried about an hour after we left town," was his response, "But I couldn't get through."

Daisuke sat back and hit his head on his headrest, an exasperated look on his face, "This is ridiculous…" He muttered.

The group, once again, fell into an uneasy silence.

"Stop the truck," Satoru suddenly ordered.

Kyoko brought the truck to a stop. Without another word, Satoru threw open his door and climbed outside.

"What is that man _doing_?" Kyoko asked through clenched teeth.

"I don't know, but I think we should follow him," Takashi said, exiting the truck as well.

Once the three were outside, it took them a moment to find Satoru, who was kneeling by a tree on the side of the road.

"Satoru, what are you doing?" Daisuke asked, stretching his cramped legs.

The older male straightened up but kept his back to the remaining members of the group, "Something strange is going on," He announced.

"No shit Sherlock," Daisuke grumbled, "Mind telling us exactly what?"

"This tree…at first I thought I was imagining it," he said, "But, now that I think about it…"

He turned around and faced them, his mouth set in a grim line, "We've passed this same tree multiple times in the past two hours we've been on this road."

"And?" Takashi asked, unsure of where Satoru was going with his observation.

"We've been driving around in circles," Satoru stated simply.

"What? That's impossible!" Kyoko argued, "We've been heading straight this whole time! Are you sure you're not mistaking that tree for any other tree out here?"

"I'm positive."

Takashi quickly stifled his laughter. Here they were, four grown adults, arguing over trees.

Apparently, his cover wasn't as effective as he had hoped, for Kyoko sent him a glare.

"This isn't funny," she said coldly.

He sighed, "I know, it's just a little…bizarre."

Satoru ran his hand along the trunk of the tree, asking, "Isn't there something about this that strikes you as odd?"

When he received no answer, he explained, "This area of the mountain is known for being very lush. However, amidst all of the healthy vegetation, is this tree, which couldn't look more dead."

Takashi couldn't help but agree. For the first time, he looked at the tree and really paid attention to what he was seeing. It was as white as ivory and its tangled mess of branches were completely bare.

"Ok, I get your point," Kyoko said, "But how could we have possibly been driving in circles?"

"Give me your keys," Satoru said, "I want to try something."

Kyoko obeyed and Satoru climbed into the truck and started it. With a nod at his fellow workers, he started down the road, the wheels of the truck kicking up a cloud of dust and rocks as it went.

"So, now what do we do?" Daisuke asked, watching the truck disappear into the distance.

"Sit and wait," Takashi replied, sitting down and leaning his back against the surprisingly cool bark of the tree. Kyoko sat down next to him, Daisuke preferring to lie on his back in the shade.

As the minutes ticked away slowly, Takashi found himself wishing he had brought a book along. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on his chest, waiting to see if sleep would claim him instead. However, sleep decided to be an evasive bastard, and left him in the waking world to die slowly of boredom.

Deciding to give up, he opened his eyes with a slightly exasperated sigh and decided to have a staring contest with one of the trees rooted on the other side of the road.

However, as he was selecting his opponent, a strange figure swam into his vision. Takashi rubbed his eyes and sat up straighter, squinting at it. His heart skipped a beat and he felt goose bumps appear on his skin.

It was a person, but there was something incredibly inhuman about it.

A closer look revealed that it was a tall, well-muscled man who looked to be in his mid thirties. He could have been anything, from some sort of worker to a lawyer. There was so much blood on his clothing that it was impossible to even guess at his profession.

His neck was bent at an almost ninety-degree angle, his head hanging loosely from it. His mouth was slightly agape and his milky-white eyes were wide open. A few small tufts of hair remained clinging to his scalp, but he was mostly bald with dried blood covering the majority of his head and face.

His arms hung limply at his sides, fresh blood dripping from his fingers. In his right hand, he loosely held an axe.

Takashi blinked several times and rubbed his eyes harder, unable to believe what he was seeing. When he opened his eyes, not only was the man at least five feet closer to him, his neck had straightened out into its natural position. Takashi felt a chill run down his spine as he felt milky-white eyes boring a hole in his forehead.

Then, before his eyes, the man disappeared and reappeared another five feet closer within the time limit of a single second. His neck was bent again, blood dripping onto the dusty ground from his mouth, ears, and eyes.

Takashi didn't realize that he was pushing himself backwards into the tree behind him until his spine began to groan in protest. Sweat appeared on his brow and his heart was beating so quickly that he was positive he was going to faint.

The man's neck straightened then fell loosely again and continued this action while he seemed to move closer and closer. It was like watching something on a scratched DVD.

Takashi opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance. The crew's white pickup truck appeared in a cloud of dirt, cutting the man out of his sight.

He heard Kyoko and Daisuke jump to their feet.

"What the fuck?!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"He drove off that way!" Daisuke said, completely bewildered, pointing first in the direction in which Satoru left, then in which he appeared, "Then came back from that direction?"

Satoru got out of the truck and dusted off his jeans.

"Now do you see what I was trying-" He began.

"Satoru! Look out!" Takashi shouted, cutting him off.

The man had appeared right behind Satoru, his axe raised.

Before anyone could move, he brought it down on Satoru's head, cutting through his skull, the blade then continuing down into his torso. When the man pulled the axe back, Satoru's corpse collapsed to the ground into a pool of blood.

Kyoko screamed and nearly fell as she stumbled backwards. Takashi's mouth was open and his eyes were wide with horror. It felt as if he had been plunged into a tub of icy water. He couldn't think, he couldn't move.

The man began to stagger toward them, fresh blood dripping from the blade of his axe.

When he was about ten feet away from them, his axe hand raised, Daisuke grabbed Takashi and Kyoko and the three sprinted toward the truck. Takashi reached it first and threw the truck into drive. Kyoko and Daisuke had barely made it inside when he stepped on the gas. He made a sharp U-turn, Kyoko giving a sob as they drove over Satoru's body, and punched it, hoping that they could get away.

When nothing tried to stop them, he looked back.

The man was standing there, watching them leave. Next to him was a girl dressed in black. Slightly curious, Takashi tried to get a better look at her. However, before he could, they both disappeared, leaving only a mutilated corpse and a bloody road behind.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata sighed as she set down the box she was carrying. The camp's head counselor, Iruka, had decided to hold a campfire gathering, to avoid using the generator more than they needed to, and had commissioned Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto to carry the food and supplies to the campfire site, about half of a mile from the camp's main buildings.

She paused for a moment, admiring the beautiful sunset. As much as she hated to admit it, Camp Ayakashi was located in a very beautiful area. The forest surrounding it was thick and lush and the clear waters of Lake Dekishi reflected the darkening sky like a mirror. A cool breeze blew through her hair and she closed her eyes, enjoying it.

"Ok! Are we ready to get this started?" Kotetsu, one of the younger male counselors, asked, an amiable grin on his face.

He and his friend Izumo were carrying what Hinata assumed were the last of the boxes. They set them down beside the others and immediately went to work lighting the fire.

The rest of the campers and counselors had followed them and, upon arriving at the site, split up and took their places around the already-burning fire.

The sun had almost completely set and the forest was darkening quickly. Hinata looked around for her friends. She quickly spotted Ino, Sakura, and TenTen. They were talking with Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, and Lee. Hinata joined them, forcing herself to forget about the coming darkness.

"Are they going to give out flashlights or something?" Ino was asking, "How are we supposed to find our way back to the cabins?"

"I think I heard Iruka-sensei say something about our counselors walking us back," Lee said.

"This sucks!" TenTen exclaimed, "How long do you think the power will be out?"

"Probably until the cleanup crew fixes it," Sasuke said.

"Speaking of the cleanup crew," Hinata joined the conversation, "Did Iruka-sensei ever get through to them?"

"Nope," Kiba answered, "They're going to try again tomorrow."

"What if they still can't get through to them?" Sakura asked softly.

"Maybe they'll send somebody on foot to town to try and find them," Shino suggested.

"That would work," Neji agreed, appearing behind TenTen, who blushed furiously in surprise.

"Ugh, who cares?" Naruto asked, holding his growling stomach, "I'm starving! When can we eat?

As if on cue, Izumo called, "The food is ready! Come and get it!"

With an excited cheer, Naruto practically sprinted toward the food table that was set up beside the campfire.

The remaining members of the group shook their heads slowly at the blonde's childish actions.

After eating, they began to make smores. While they were doing that, Kotetsu appeared.

"You know what campfires are perfect for?" He prompted.

"Ghost stories?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly!" Izumo said.

Naruto cheered, punching the air with his fist.

Hinata's heart sank. Sitting around a campfire, surrounded by the darkened forest, and listening to ghost stories was not exactly on her list of things she wanted to do.

The group laughed at Naruto and the counselors' childish behavior, but nods of agreement were seen throughout the circle.

"I have a great one," Lee announced, grinning from ear to ear.

"Me too!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Ok, Lee, you go first, then Naruto, and then whoever wants to go after him can," Izumo said.

Lee stood up and cleared his throat before beginning, "Ok, there was this young couple. The man was very handsome and the woman was very beautiful. And they used to go to parties, where they loved dancing…"

Everyone was listening attentively to Lee's story, and Hinata took the opportunity to quietly slip away into the trees. She figured that she could follow the path back to the cabins but remain in the shadows so that she wouldn't be spotted. Her friends wouldn't realize that she was gone for awhile and when they returned to the cabin, she would just tell them that she wasn't feeling well.

Keeping the path in sight, she weaved in and out of the trees, trying to walk as quietly as possible.

However, as she put the campfire behind her, she had trouble keeping her eyes on the path. It was when she decided to just walk on it, assuming that she was far enough away, that she realized that she could no longer see it.

Trying not to panic, she crouched down and felt the forest floor with her fingertips. Keeping her fingers brushing against the ground, she made her way toward where she thought the path would be.

After a few minutes of feeling no change in the earth, she straightened up again and looked around.

With the moon as her only source of light, she could make out the shapes of trees and bushes. Everything else, however, was shrouded in shadows.

Determined to stay calm, she retraced her steps and tried to go back toward the campfire.

She was only met with darkness.

Her heart began to beat wildly as she realized it.

She was lost.

Remaining perfectly still, she listened for the sounds of her friends. After a few minutes of silence, she gave up. She decided to continue heading in the direction she had been when she was following the path, hoping that it would take her back to the main part of the camp.

As she was walking, a horrible feeling of dread began to creep its way up her spine.

The darkness was suffocating her. Hinata could hear the unknown creatures of the night stalking her and could feel their eyes watching her every move.

She suddenly became very aware of how exposed she was. Even the smallest of sounds were enhanced by the openness of the forest, their echoes bouncing off of every tree, from the groaning of the branches to her very heartbeat, which, she was sure, could be heard by her friends back at the campfire.

The rustling of the dead leaves on the forest floor caught her attention. She remained standing, perfectly still, fearful to take so much as a single breath of air.

It sounded as if something was dragging itself toward her, snapping twigs, and gliding over leaves as it moved.

Hinata's heartbeat quickened and it took all of her willpower to refrain from screaming and making a run for it.

She began walking again, slowly and as quietly as possible.

Every branch that snagged on her clothes felt like a hand, every sound she heard seemed to follow her and become louder as the seconds ticked away, and every shadow seemed to move on its own accord, stalking her as a predator would stalk its prey.

More than twice she was sure that she had seen a human-like figure standing merely feet away from her. She tried to ignore them, the figures and the sounds, and kept moving without stopping, but her mind was quickly clouding over with panic and fear and her determination to remain calm was dissolving.

She bit her lip and pushed onward, sure that the main part of the camp couldn't be far away.

Then, she felt something slimy brush past her ankle.

She looked down quickly and stopped walking, her eyes wide with horror.

A human hand was reaching out of the ground, its fingers moving jerkily.

Any determination she had disappeared completely. She screamed and began to sprint forward, not caring where she was going.

As she ran, Hinata began to see people all around her, watching her with bloody eyes. They never made a move to harm her, but their very presence nearly paralyzed her with fear.

Then, suddenly, she saw a break in the trees. She threw herself at it and burst out of the trees into the open clearing that she recognized as the main part of the camp.

The breath was knocked out of her as she collided with something hard. A shriek of terror escaped her lips and, reacting on instinct, she lashed out at it with her fists. However, before she could do any damage, she found her wrists to be tightly secured. She tried to pull away but to no avail.

The figure seemed to be trying to speak to her, but she couldn't understand through her panic. It was another minute of futile struggling before she could make out the actual words.

"Hinata? What's wrong? Hinata!"

She opened her eyes, which she couldn't remember closing, and came face-to-face with a very confused Kiba.

She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She felt his arms wrap around her and pull her closer as she began to tremble.

After a few minutes of holding her, Kiba asked, his breath tickling her ear, "What happened?"

She took in a shuddering breath and confessed, "I got lost."

Then, before she knew it, she was telling him everything, about her nightmares and the strange sounds she had heard in the cafeteria, about the people she had been seeing, and about what had happened in the forest. All the while, Kiba listened, the serious look on his face never wavering. When she finished, he was silent.

She felt her ears burn with embarrassment and her stomach twist itself into a mixture of fear and anxiety.

What if Kiba thought she was crazy?

Finally, after a few painful minutes, he spoke:

"We need to get everyone out of here."

Hinata was so shocked that she was rendered speechless.

"I believe you, Hinata," Kiba continued, placing his hands on her shoulders, "And not just because I know you wouldn't make up something like that. Since I first set foot at this camp, I knew there was something wrong with it. And if this girl in your dreams, whoever she is, is telling the truth, then we need to leave as soon as possible."

"But how _can_ we leave?" Hinata asked, finally regaining her voice, "The main road is blocked off."

Kiba was silent for a minute before replying, "There _must_ be another way out of this camp…we'll think of something."

She sighed and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"Do you think they will believe us?" She asked.

"I don't know," Kiba admitted, stroking her hair softly, as if to calm her.

Hinata tensed slightly at the contact but quickly relaxed; it felt good.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you for believing me."

Kiba chuckled softly and said, "This is all so fucked up."

And Hinata, not one for cursing, couldn't have described it better.

"Do you want to go back to the campfire?" He asked.

Hinata shook her head, "I think I'll just go back to my cabin."

"I'll walk you there," Kiba said.

"You don't have to – " she began to protest.

"I want to," he cut her off, "I'm going to do the same thing anyway, that's why I left the group in the first place. Anything is better than going back there with those idiots."

Hinata giggled, which made Kiba grin.

As they walked, Kiba took her hand. She didn't protest, grateful for the company.

"How did you get back here before me?" She asked him curiously, "You were still at the campfire when I left."

"I asked one of the counselors for a flashlight then just followed the path," He replied.

"Oh…"

Over and over again, she tried, mentally, to come up with the best way to thank him for everything he had done for her. She finally chose what she thought was the best one, but when they reached the cabin she, once again, found herself lost for words.

As she struggled to speak, to say something, _anything_, Kiba placed a finger on her slightly parted lips, a knowing glint in his dark eyes.

"Don't mention it," he said, "And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here, ok?"

She nodded. He flashed her another grin and began making his way back to his own cabin.

She watched him go and just before his figure was engulfed in darkness, she whispered, "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

It was about an hour later when Ino, Sakura, and TenTen returned.

"Hinata! There you are! We were worried sick!" Ino exclaimed.

"Sorry," Hinata said, smiling guiltily, "I wasn't feeling well, so I decided to come back here and lie down for a bit."

"You walked back here alone? That's dangerous!" TenTen said.

Hinata frowned, they were treating her like a child!

"I didn't walk back alone," she argued, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, "Kiba-kun walked with me."

"But still, you should have told – oh! That's alright then," Ino said, exchanging a glance with TenTen and Sakura.

Hinata rolled her eyes at her friends' behavior and turned over onto her stomach, resting her cheek on her pillow. She was exhausted.

"Well, you didn't miss much," Sakura informed her.

"Lee and Naruto had a smore eating contest, but that's about it," TenTen agreed.

"Who won?" Hinata asked.

"Well…they ate through all of the gram crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars, so there was really no clear winner," Ino said.

Hinata's lips curled into a small, amused smile. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself into the deep, dreamless sleep she so longed for.

Eventually, the sound of her friends' voices began to fade until they seemed to be cut off by a wall of fog, distant and blurred. They then died away completely as she slipped into the dark abyss of sleep.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

When Hinata opened her eyes, the cabin was flooded with light. She sat up and looked out of the window. By the position of the sun in the sky, she assumed that it was well past noon. She had overslept.

A quick survey of her room told her that her friends were not there and, by the looks of it, had not been there for hours. Slightly irritated by the fact that they left without so much as waking her, Hinata climbed out of bed and quickly changed before making her way outside.

The hot, afternoon sun beat down on her back, its rays seeming to burn right through her clothes. She wiped away the small amount of sweat that was already beginning to accumulate on her forehead. The heat was unnatural and she should have noticed that, but her mind was too preoccupied with figuring out where everyone could have gone.

She decided to check the cafeteria first. If she didn't find her friends there, she was positive that somebody would be there who could tell her where they went.

As she made her way toward the main part of the camp, Hinata couldn't help but notice how abnormally quiet it was. Sure, if all of the campers had gone somewhere, the camp was bound to be more silent than usual. However, Hinata couldn't even hear the sound of birds chirping in the trees.

She realized that the sun felt so hot because there was no breeze blowing. Everything seemed to be at a standstill. Feeling slightly uneasy, she increased her pace, anxious to find somebody.

When she reached the cafeteria, she found it completely deserted. She called out for Ayame and Teuchi but received no answer, the kitchen was dark.

She carefully pushed open the door to the kitchen and stepped inside. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She found that the kitchen was indeed empty. However, as she was scanning the counters, her stomach gave a great lurch.

The knife rack was completely bare.

She heard a crash in the hallway leading to the back freezer.

"A…Ayame-chan?" Hinata asked, taking a tentative step forward.

Her answer was another crash.

"Ayame-chan? Teuchi-san?" She called again.

Her legs were moving on their own accord and before she knew it, she found herself standing right in front of the gaping mouth of the hallway, which was black as ink.

She strained her eyes against the darkness and managed to make out a figure.

It was a person, whose features were shrouded in shadows.

"Hello?" She called.

The figure didn't move.

"Is someone there?" She asked.

Another figure appeared beside the first, and then another, and another. Hinata was suddenly hit by a wave of dread.

The figures were advancing, seemingly without so much as moving a finger. Finally, she was able to make out their faces. As soon as she saw the clouded eyes, the bleeding mouths, noses, and eyes, the pale-grey skin, and the various wounds on their bodies, all thought left Hinata's mind. All that remained was:

_I have to get out of here!_

With a terrified shriek, Hinata whipped around and made a dash for the door, throwing herself through it and sprinting out of the cafeteria.

Her eyes watered as the sunlight hit her, but she kept running, never even thinking about looking back.

Suddenly, her feet were swept out from under her. She hit the ground and lay winded. Upon remembering the reason she had been running, however, Hinata scrambled to her feet and looked down at what had tripped her.

She screamed and stumbled backwards, only to trip and fall over again.

Lying on the ground, not five feet away from her, was Uchiha Sasuke's body.

Her classmate had been stabbed multiple times and was very nearly decapitated.

Hinata held in the urge to vomit and pushed herself back to her feet. She was preparing to take off again when she realized that Sasuke's body was not the only one occupying the clearing. She felt her heart jump into her throat as tears of horror ran down her cheeks.

Strewn carelessly across the main part of the camp were the corpses of her friends.

Ino was lying about fifteen feet away, her long, blonde hair matted and stained crimson by her own blood.

Hinata whimpered and averted her eyes, only to have them drawn to Sakura's vibrant, bubble-gum pink hair. Her friend was slumped against the wall of a building on the opposite side of the clearing, her neck hanging at an odd angle.

A shriek escaped Hinata's lips. She closed her eyes and shook her head violently, as if she could make the grisly images disappear just by doing so. She began to run again, not bothering to open her eyes for fear of what she would see.

She wailed as she stepped on bodies that she couldn't identify and slipped in blood that she couldn't see. Twice she tripped, twice she pushed herself back to her feet, twice she felt someone else's blood cover her knees and palms.

The third time she fell, instead of landing on the hard, sticky ground, she landed on something soft. Her eyes flew open by instinct and she found herself nose-to-nose with a very familiar brunette.

Numbly, she pushed herself off of the body and remained kneeling next to it, gazing down at Kiba's pale face. She couldn't move. All she could do was kneel there and stare down at her best friend's lifeless body, tears cascading down her cheeks like great rivers, dripping from her face and mingling with his blood.

Something inside of her snapped.

An inhuman shriek tore from her lips and she was on her feet sprinting toward the entrance of Camp Ayakashi before she could even process the fact that she was moving. However, as she neared the entrance, a wall of flames erupted out of nowhere, blocking off her escape route.

Hinata skidded to a stop before shifting her weight and launching herself in a different direction. Just when she thought she could make it, she was forced to stop once again, the heat of the flames seeming to envelope her.

She was panting, sweat streaming down her face. The smoke from the fires filled her lungs and she coughed painfully. It was getting hard to breathe.

She staggered back to the center of the clearing, staring blankly at the fire that blocked off any means of escape. She fell to her knees next to Kiba's body and felt her body go limp with defeat.

As her vision faded, she saw the outline of a girl's face in the smoke and heard her friend's screaming.

Then everything went black.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata was jerked from her nightmare by the excessive amount of commotion in the cabin. She sat up, trying to push away the horror of her dream and to wipe away the tears that were still sliding down her cheeks.

Their cabin was much more crowded than it should have been. In her confusion, it took Hinata a minute to realize that nearly every one of her classmates had forced his or her way into the overly crowded room.

"What happened?" Hinata asked groggily.

It was Sakura who answered her. Her friend's eyes were wide with a mixture of worry, fear, and puzzlement.

"Kankurou is missing."

* * *

**A/N:**

Just a side note, Nyctohylophobia is fear of dark wooded areas or of forests at night, I thought it would serve as a good title for this chapter.

And Hinata's little experience in the forest is actually based on a personal experience I had about three years ago (except I didn't see any dead people).

Well, I hope you liked it....

Please...please review, it would really mean the world to me right now...


	5. And So It Begins

**A/N:**

Sorry everyone. You all know by now that I fail epically at updating on time XD I blame writers block this time, it was driving me crazy T-T not to mention the fact that I also had exams.

Anyway, a HUGE thank you to Byzantea, luvr4fantanim, hinata2233, Anonymous, kibasmaster23, BRE-Z-INUZUKA, and JapanAnimeRox for their very supportive and inspiring reviews!! This chapter is for you guys! Also, a very special thanks to my awesome youtube wifey Jaime for her constant support (especially when I was suffering from writers block) :)

Well, this chapter may seem kinda slow until the end, but I'll tell you now that you should pay close attention to everything that's going on. The parts with Takashi, Kyoko, and Daisuke are incredibly important, so I'd advise against skipping over them ^^

Oh, and just a heads-up, the time setting in this story is summer of 2009.

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 5: And So It Begins...

When they reached town, Takashi pulled into a gas station and killed the engine. The trio sat in silence, too shaken to even attempt conversation.

Finally, Kyoko managed to ask, "Sh…should we tell the police?"

"No," Takashi replied slowly, "I don't think so."

"Why not?!" Daisuke asked, finding his voice, "Satoru is _dead_, don't you think we owe it to him to at least investigate his death?"

"Of course!" Takashi said, feeling slightly offended, "I just don't think we should involve the police!"

"But why not?" Kyoko asked.

Takashi sighed, "Do you realize how our story will sound? They'll throw us in the loony-bin with no questions asked!"

"So what do you suggest?" Daisuke asked.

"I was thinking about going to the library and searching through old newspapers," he replied, his idea expanding as he spoke, "We can't be the first people that this has happened to. I would bet a year's worth of my salary that there have been other incidents like ours, and, if there have been, then there may be articles about them. We can start there."

Daisuke held Takashi's gaze for several moments before chuckling dryly and saying, "Ok, you know what, just forget it; this is stupid. Do you really expect to find anything?"

Takashi narrowed his eyes at the younger man, "Yes, I really do. And weren't you the one saying that Satoru's death should be investigated?"

"Yeah, well now I'm telling you that your little plan is completely pointless. If you want to go on a wild goose chase, be my guest, but don't expect me to come along for the ride. This is where I get off."

With that, Daisuke threw open the door of the truck and jumped out, slamming it behind him. Takashi quickly followed him, Kyoko crawling out through his door.

"Daisuke, wait!" Takashi called. Daisuke refused to even acknowledge the fact that he had spoken.

Takashi sighed and gave up. Daisuke was so young, just barely out of college, and to have witnessed something as graphic and horrifying as Satoru's death must have been grievously scarring. He decided to give him a few days before calling him to make sure that he was alright.

He noticed that Kyoko was not beside him. Turning, he found her standing just outside of the driver's side of the truck, staring at it blankly.

"Kyoko?" Takashi asked, approaching her cautiously.

He felt his stomach lurch as his gaze rested on what she was looking at.

The entire door of the truck was smeared with Satoru's blood. And to make it all worse, when Kyoko had exited the truck, she had brushed against the door, leaving crimson stains on her hands. Her gaze dropped to them, her eyes wide with horror.

"Here," Takashi said, shedding his jacket and handing it to her, "Wipe them on this."

She took it and nodded numbly, beginning to fiercely rub her hands.

"So," he asked, "What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Investigating Satoru's death."

Kyoko was silent for a minute, continuing to rub her hands though they seemed clean. Finally, she threw the jacket back into the truck and answered, "Count me in."

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"As you all, I'm sure, have heard by now, a camper went missing last night," Iruka's voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed his unease, "Kankurou's siblings, Temari and Gaara, say that he was with them while they were returning to their cabin from the campfire and they he disappeared sometime during the journey. Now, there is no reason to be alarmed. It's very possible that he lost his way during the walk. In his confusion, he may have wandered deeper into the forest. I am going to split you up into groups and appoint a counselor to lead you. They each have an assigned location where you are to search. You are to keep in their sight at all times, do I make myself clear?"

Hinata and the rest of the cafeteria nodded silently.

"Good," Iruka continued, "Now, here are the groups: Hinata, Sakura, Kiba, and Lee, you will go with Kotetsu and search the forest surrounding the cabins. Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara, you will go with Izumo and search the area around Lake Dekishi. Shikamaru, Ino, TenTen, and Neji, you will go with Anko and check the campfire and the area around it. The rest of you, Chouji, Shino, and Temari, you will go with Kakashi and make your way to the main entrance of the camp. Good luck to you all." Without another word, he dismissed them.

It didn't take long for Hinata and the other members of her group to find their spiky-haired counselor. He was standing on one of the tables, waving his arms and calling out their names while his quieter friend Izumo looked on, an amused smile on his face.

Once they reached said table, Kotetsu jumped down and led them outside to avoid getting in the way of the other groups.

The walk to the cabins was a silent one. A dark cloud of anxiety seemed to hang over their heads, threatening to break and unleash a storm.

Upon reaching the cabins, Kotetsu addressed them, his carefree mask replaced with a gravely serious one, "Ok, I want to reinforce what Iruka-san said back at the cafeteria. Stay within my sight at all times. If you find yourself alone, don't try looking for the rest of the group. Stay where you are and call for me. Even if I don't hear you initially, once we realize that you are missing, we will retrace our steps. If you continue to call, we will eventually find you. Understand?"

Hinata, Kiba, Sakura, and Lee nodded, exchanging uneasy looks.

"Alright, do you have any questions before we start?" Kotetsu asked.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Kiba asked.

Kotetsu hesitated before replying, "Anything. Broken plants which can indicate a trail, footprints, blood – "

"Blood?" Hinata interrupted.

The dark-haired counselor shifted uncomfortably, "Well, the undergrowth is pretty thick around here. Chances are, Kankurou cut himself on a branch. If that's the case, then we can follow the blood to him. With any luck, he had stopped moving and is waiting for someone to find him.

'_I'm pretty sure that if we find blood, it won't be from scratches made by branches…_' Hinata thought darkly. She locked eyes with Kiba, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, and frowned anxiously.

"Well, is there are no more questions, I suggest we get going," Kotetsu said, "We're burning daylight."

The group silently agreed and followed their counselor into the dense forest of Camp Ayakashi.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

After about two hours of fruitless searching, Kotetsu decided to let his group take a short break. Hinata found a fallen tree and used its trunk as a place to sit. Lee had found a beautiful patch of flowers, which he was excitedly showing Sakura. Kiba sat down next to Hinata, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"They would make a cute couple," he remarked, as Sakura giggled at something Lee had said.

Hinata nodded, "It's a shame that Sakura-chan only has eyes for Sasuke-kun."

Kiba sighed sadly, "Yeah, poor Lee. Watching someone you love, love someone else is one of the hardest things to do."

An image of Naruto swam through Hinata's mind and she waited for the usual ache in her heart. But it never came. Confused, she tried again, picturing the blonde whom she had fallen in love with so many years ago.

Nothing. She felt nothing.

She noticed the distant look in Kiba's eyes. He was obviously lost in thought. It was then that she realized the meaning of Kiba's words. Was it true? Was her best friend in love with a girl who did not return his feelings? Whoever this girl was, Hinata decided, she was a fool, a very lucky fool. An unidentified emotion flickered through Hinata's consciousness, but she pushed it away, frustrated by her inability to name it.

"Alright, the break is over," Kotetsu announced, "Sorry, but we can't afford to waste too much time."

Without a word of complaint, Hinata, Kiba, Lee, and Sakura rejoined him. As they set off once again, a sense of urgency began to set in. They only had a few more hours before the sun would begin to set. Searching the woods in the dark was virtually pointless, if not impossible. If Kankurou was indeed staying in a certain place, waiting for rescue, his patience would likely not last another day.

As they walked, Hinata was suddenly hit with a horrible feeling of dread. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she had to withhold a wail of despair. The last thing she wanted was another apparition to encounter and, by the instinctive reaction of her body, she was sure that one was near.

Thankfully, her group was silent, making it easier for Hinata to strain her ears and to listen to the forest surrounding her. At first, she could hear nothing but their footsteps. However, as they continued, she became aware of a sixth set of footsteps that should not have been present. Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized that whatever-it-was was following them.

Silently, and almost unconsciously, she shifted closer to Kiba. He noticed this but said nothing. His eyes darkened with attentiveness and she knew that he was listening for anything out of the ordinary. Then, his eyes flashed, and he took her hand in his, squeezing it slightly.

He had noticed it too.

Relief washed over Hinata in a great wave. However, it was short-lived as the footsteps became closer. Her fingers curled around Kiba's into a grip which, she was sure, hurt his hand. However, he made no protest against it, so she didn't loosen it.

"What's the hold up, you two?"

Hinata flinched violently at Kotetsu's voice. She had been so intent on listening for their follower that she had not noticed how slowly she and Kiba had been walking.

"Sorry," Kiba apologized, thinking quickly, "I thought I heard something, and I wanted to ask Hinata if she had too. But, I haven't heard anything for awhile, have you?"

He directed his question at Hinata, who quickly caught on and shook her head, "No, nothing."

Kotetsu bought it and nodded curtly, "Alright, let's keep moving then."

Kiba and Hinata nodded back in unison. As Lee and Sakura turned their backs to them, Hinata caught the smirk on Sakura's face, most likely directed toward her death-grip on Kiba's hand. She inwardly groaned; she would have a lot of explaining to do later.

"Can you still hear it?" Kiba whispered.

She nodded, "It's farther away; but it's still following us. Why didn't you just tell them the truth?"

"If I told them that something was following us, Kotetsu-sensei would probably want to look for it, thinking that it was Kankurou. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not come in contact with whatever our stalker is."

Hinata blinked; that made perfect sense.

"So what are we going to do about it?" She asked.

Kiba shook his head, "Honestly? I have no idea. I think ignoring it would be our best bet right now. We should just focus on finding Kankurou."

"Do you think we'll find him?"

"I hope so. But there are four other groups looking; someone's bound to find him."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, which she returned with a grateful smile. Her grip didn't weaken as he led her deeper and deeper into the tangled forest of Camp Ayakashi, their stalker hot on their heels.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

The town of Kouzan, though relatively small, was well-known for its enormous library. Takashi, who had never set foot inside of it himself, was taken aback by the sheer vastness of it. He had no idea where to start looking.

Thankfully, Kyoko, an avid book reader, was very familiar with the building and was able to lead Takashi to the room specifically set aside for newspaper articles and news clippings. It was there that they split up, Takashi taking the virtual files, Kyoko tackling a stack of the oldest newspapers she could find.

Since Takashi had no idea as to what time period he should search under, he decided to search for any article which contained anything to do with the road and mountain itself. He let out a low whistle at the amount of articles he found. He quickly scanned a handful of them, finding nothing useful.

"Do you have any idea what year we should search under?" He finally asked, closing out of yet another useless article.

"I'm working on that," was Kyoko's answer, "Try checking under the past sixty years and work your way to the present. Something's bound to come up."

He nodded and turned back to the computer's monitor, hearing the loud rustling of paper as Kyoko abandoned her search in one of the newspapers and picked up a new one.

Takashi had just finished searching under 1952 when Kyoko gave a triumphant cheer.

"Look at this!" She exclaimed, appearing by his side with an old, worn-out newspaper clutched tightly in her hand.

The title read: _Accident on Mountainside Leaves Four Dead_.

"It says that this family's van suddenly veered off of the road and hit the side of the mountain," Kyoko explained excitedly, "which caused a landslide that completely crushed them!"

"That sounds like a pretty normal accident," Takashi pointed out, "especially around here. People are killed in landslides often enough.

"I know, but get this," Kyoko turned to the next page and quoted, "'After close inspection of the vehicle, experts believe that the tires were slashed deliberately with a sharp object.'"

Takashi's eyes narrowed, "That doesn't make sense. If their tires had been slashed, they wouldn't have been able to travel far, if they had been able to move their van in the first place. It says here that the sight of the crash was about three miles up the mountain."

"Exactly!" Kyoko said, "There's no way in hell that that family's death was an accident."

Takashi felt his own excitement awaken, "When was this article written?"

Kyoko turned back to the cover page, "1965," she replied, "So that makes it around forty-four years old."

"Do you think this was the first accident?"

"No, the author of the article mentions other accidents like it near the end."

"Forty-four years ago huh?" Takashi murmured, "Alright, keep looking. I'm going to search the computer files for articles published in the last fifty years."

Kyoko nodded and returned to her stack of newspapers.

As Takashi worked his way through 1959, he began to encounter similar articles, announcing accidental deaths on the mountain. He read a few of the earliest ones he could find and continued reading through 1972, counting a total of forty-seven deaths on the mountain in that span of thirteen years. The accidents ranged from cars going off the side, to brutally attacked campers. Every incident, Takashi noted with puzzlement, had taken place over the summer months.

He continued to search, trying to ignore the feeling of hopelessness that was beginning to descend. Headings bearing tragic news danced before him, all telling different versions of the same story.

Despite how many relevant articles Takashi and Kyoko found, they were no closer to solving the mystery surrounding Satoru's death.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata closed her eyes and slowly massaged her temples, trying to will her headache away. Exhaustion hit her with the force of a tidal wave and she quickly stifled a yawn. The second day of searching for Kankurou had been as unsuccessful as the first. Hinata and the rest of the camp were forced to go to sleep disappointed once again.

She sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position in her bed. Her earlier conversation with Temari and Gaara began to reply itself again in her head.

_"Before Kankurou-kun disappeared," Hinata asked, "Was he acting any differently?"_

_Temari and Gaara exchanged a glace before Temari replied, "Well…kind of."_

_"How so?"_

_"A few hours into the first day at camp," Temari explained, "He started wandering off on his own without telling us anything. When we asked him about it, it was like he couldn't even remember doing it. Gaara says that he caught him muttering to himself and spacing out a couple of times. He just seemed….distant. He had trouble sleeping at night and when he did fall asleep, he started sleepwalking. We had to lock the door to the cabin to keep him inside."_

_"We thought he was just being a bit more moronic than usual," Gaara added._

This conversation continued to repeat itself as Hinata drifted into a light, thankfully dreamless sleep.

Something was prodding her on the shoulder. Hinata groaned and shifted over onto her side in an attempt to avoid it. The thing, whatever it was, prodded her harder.

"Leavemealone…" She mumbled, pulling her blanket over her head.

"Hinata, we have to head to the cafeteria," a voice informed her, a slightly exasperated edge in it.

"Don'tcare…"

Hinata's eyes snapped open as she hit the ground with a soft 'thud'.

She sat up quickly, "What was that for?!" She snapped at Ino, who was holding her blanket.

The blonde sighed, "Finally; we've been trying to wake you up for the past fifteen minutes."

"Really?" Hinata couldn't remember any other attempt to wake her.

"Yeah, but it's not important now," TenTen said from across the room, pulling on a pair of sneakers, "We have to get moving or else we're going to be late."

"Late for what?" Hinata's head was spinning with confusion.

"Iruka-sensei called for a meeting in the cafeteria," Sakura explained, "Kurenai-sensei stopped by last night to tell us, but by that time you were already asleep."

"We have about five minutes," Ino added.

Hinata was on her feet in a flash. She quickly changed and pulled on her sneakers.

"Ok, sorry, let's get going." She said.

The cafeteria was uncannily silent. Hinata could have expected as much. Kankurou had been missing for over two days, after having disappeared without a trace.

They had arrived just in time; Iruka was just beginning to address the campers.

"First off, I want to thank you all for being so cooperative these past few days during our search for Kankurou. Though, so far, our searches have been fruitless, the camp's personnel, myself included, will continue to look until we find him. However, we have decided to give you all a day of rest. Asuma, Kurenai, Izumo, and Kotetsu have agreed to take you to the lake and to watch over you while the rest of us continue the search. So, please enjoy yourselves and have a very relaxing day!" Iruka stepped away from the podium and immediately engaged in a conversation with Kakashi.

Hinata could not make out their words, but the obvious tension in their postures spoke louder than words alone could.

"A day of rest?" Temari looked livid, "Are they serious? What about Kankurou?!"

"Iruka-sensei said that they were still looking for him," Sakura pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll find him," TenTen said, offering the troubled blonde a kind smile.

Temari rested her head in her hands, "I just feel like I should be doing something…"

"The best thing you can do for Kankurou-kun," Hinata said, "Is believe that he will be found soon."

Temari sighed, "I guess that's all I _can_ do…"

"Come on," TenTen said, standing up, "I say we all throw on our bathing suits and go swimming. Maybe all we really do need is a nice, relaxing day of rest."

Reluctantly, Temari agreed.

The sun was directly above Hinata's head when they reached the lake. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her stiff body.

"Hinata? Are you going to stand there all day?" She heard Ino call, "Come on in! The water's great!"

Hinata smiled and quickly joined her friends. The water was cool, a perfect contrast of the weather.

She inhaled a breath and dove beneath the surface, feeling refreshed as the cool liquid closed over her head. She surfaced after a few moments, pulling wet strands of hair away from her face and tucking them behind her ears.

TenTen, Sakura, and Ino had become engaged in a splash fight. Naruto, Lee, and Chouji joined in, laughing like little kids. Even Temari, after some hesitation, joined them, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Kiba's voice startled her.

She turned to find the brunette standing beside her, their shoulders mere centimeters apart.

"I want to…but…" she trailed off, unable to rid herself of the unease that was bubbling in her stomach.

Kiba smiled warmly, "You know, there's nothing to worry about."

Hinata's eyes widened. She was beginning to wonder is Kiba could read her mind.

"I mean," Kiba continued, "I don't know Kankurou very well, but if he's anything like Naruto or Lee, he probably just got himself hopelessly lost. They'll find him, you'll see."

She sighed and flashed him a grateful smile, "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

He gave her a wolfish grin, "Don't mention it."

With that, he left her side and threw himself headfirst into the war that was unfolding before them.

Hinata leaned backward and allowed herself to float on her back, immediately feeling more relaxed.

'_Maybe Kiba-kun's right_,' she thought, closing her eyes, '_Kankurou-kun just got himself lost. There's nothing to worry about_.'

She forcefully kept her thoughts from wandering to her nightmares and the strange creature that had followed her group, trying to convince herself that it was all merely coincidental.

Her eyes opened as she felt her hand brush against something cold. Curious, she grabbed a hold of the surprisingly heavy object and pulled.

Her blood turned to ice as she screamed over Kankurou's mutilated corpse.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"Takashi! Come here and look at this!" Kyoko called, an edge of excitement in her voice.

Takashi stood up slowly and stretched. He felt as if he had been sitting in that chair for days. His spine shrieked in protest as he made his way to Kyoko's table.

"What is it?" He asked, his curiosity growing at the expression on her face.

"Look," she said, shoving another newspaper into his hands.

Takashi unfolded it carefully, due to its apparent age.

"It's dated back to July of 1959," Kyoko explained, "It was the first major disruption in this town. I think it may be linked to the accidents on the mountain."

Takashi's eyes widened and his heart began to beat painfully against his ribcage.

The title read: _Murder at Camp Ayakashi_.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, I hope you liked the chapter! Now that it's summer, I should be able to update more often. My goal is to finish this story before summer ends so that I can start on some new ones (because if I start them now, I'll never finish this one).

Please review! Reviews make me update faster xD


	6. It Waits

**A/N:**

I am sooo sorry that this took so long to post! I wanted to have it out about two weeks ago, but I was in the Bahamas fishing and then had to go to New York for a family reunion T-T Sorry everybody!

I want to wish a happy (late) birthday to Jaime! This is part of your present xD The other part should be up on youtube soon ^^ Happy Birthday hun!

A HUGE thanks to JapanAnimeRox, Byzantea, lovepeacebre, hinata2233, luvr4fantanim, HinataTheAngelOfDeath, Sniffy Sand, Jellyfishie, Kay12, and Spazzieeeee for your incredibly nice and inspiring reviews!!! You guys are the reason I'm still writing this xD

Also, a special thanks to locainlove for her comment on Takashi, Kyoko, and Daisuke and for suggesting that I develop them more. I wasn't originally planning on including them in this chapter, but your comment got me thinking and I realized that you were completely right, so I included them (though they didn't do too much...that's for next chapter xD).

So, thank you everybody! I really hope you like this chapter (cuz I do for some reason O.o)!

And Kankurou's here to do the disclaimer!

Kankurou: Wait…what?

Me: You're doing the disclaimer

Kankurou: Oh hell no!

Me: Why not??

Kankurou: You KILLED me!!

Me: A necessary sacrifice

Kankurou: You cold-hearted bitch!

Me: Well…if you won't do the disclaimer…I guess I'll just have to kill Temari and Gaara off next…

Kankurou: …fine! firespaws doesn't own Naruto!

Me: See? Was that so hard?

Kankurou: ……

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 6: It Waits

Hinata woke with a start and sat up quickly, banging her head on the bunk above hers. She groaned and rubbed the sore spot on her scalp, glaring up at the wooden surface accusingly. The sky outside was still dark, the night stars still shining brightly. It was a few hours yet until dawn.

She turned to her side and rested her throbbing head on her pillow, staring blankly into the darkness that met her from the other side of the cabin. It was the fourth time she had woken up in the past few hours. Her sleep was plagued with nightmares of utmost horror, most of which she could barely remember upon waking.

She shifted restlessly, trying to rid her mind of all thought, especially those which were concerned with Kankurou. She shivered, still able to feel his cold, clammy skin on her hands, still able to see the bloody sockets which were once his eyes.

Though she hadn't known Kankurou well, Hinata was deeply scarred from discovering his mutilated corpse in the lake, and felt her heart swell with grief every time she thought about it.

She remained like that, lying on her side, trying to keep her mind from wandering to the incident, until the light of dawn began to creep into the cabin.

Breakfast was a silent affair. Though Kankurou's death left many things open for discussion, the horror, grief, and fear it had caused seemed to render the remaining campers utterly mute.

Temari had become almost completely consumed by grief over the loss of her brother. Even Gaara, whom Hinata had always thought cared little for his siblings (well…for people in general), seemed affected by it. He sat quietly beside his sister, offering whatever comfort he knew how to give.

Needless to say, everyone was surprised when Iruka stepped up to the podium and offered them an obviously forced smile.

"I know that Kankurou's death has had a widespread effect," he began, his voice gentle, "But, I'm happy to report that we managed to contact the clean-up crew and they are slowly making progress. If all goes according to plan, we may even be able to send you home as early as the middle of next week."

This roused quiet murmurs among the campers.

"He's lying," Sasuke commented, staring at Iruka with cold, calculating eyes.

"How can you tell?" TenTen asked.

"He keeps fidgeting," he explained, "which indicates anxiety. If he was telling the truth, there would be no reason to be anxious."

"But Iruka-sensei would never lie to us about something like that!" Naruto protested.

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but Shino interrupted, "I agree with Sasuke. Iruka-sensei looked up to the right while he was speaking. This is a common signal for lying."

"Why would he lie about something so serious?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"He's trying to keep everything running as normally as possible," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes slightly at his friends' cluelessness, "admitting that something is wrong and that help probably isn't coming would only cause panic."

Before anyone else could say anything, Iruka continued, "Anko and Kurenai are down at the barn, saddling up the horses. Kotetsu and Izumo will lead you there. This _is_ still a summer camp; go out and try to have some fun!"

Exasperated looks were exchanged at Iruka's attempts to appear cheerful. Hinata felt her heart ache for Temari and Gaara, who were both glaring furiously at the head counselor.

"Well, I guess we should go find Kotetsu and Izumo then," Neji said, standing up.

Hinata and the others stood as well and followed her cousin as he began to make his way outside.

As she was leaving, Hinata heard Iruka's voice in the hallway beside the kitchen. She silently slipped away from the group and made her way toward the sound of his voice, carefully keeping out of sight. She peered around the corner and found him. He was talking to Tsunade, the camp's head nurse and owner. Their heads were close together, apparently in serious discussion, forcing Hinata to stain her ears in order to make out what they were saying.

"Have you looked over the body?" Iruka was asking, his expression grave.

"Yes," Tsunade replied.

"And?"

"Well, as expected, the cause of death was blood loss. Whoever killed him knew what he or she was doing. Every wound on his body was meant to cause excruciating pain, but was not serious enough to put his life in danger. These wounds covered parts of his body which would bleed less than others, which means that his death was very dragged out."

"I see…" Iruka suddenly looked very tired.

"There's one other thing," Tsunade continued, her frown, if possible, deepening, "We found some very interesting marks on his chest."

"Marks?"

"Numbers would probably be a more appropriate term."

Iruka shot her a baffled look.

She shook her head, "We can't figure out what they mean."

"What numbers?"

"Fourteen, five, ten, and nine."

"Hinata?" Hinata flinched at TenTen's voice. She left her hiding place as quietly as she could and ran out of the cafeteria, her mind buzzing.

"Hinata, there you are!" Her brunette friend exclaimed, a playful scolding tone in her voice, "We were wondering where you went."

"Sorry," Hinata said, realizing that she had been holding up the entire group.

Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged a look and nodded. The usually jovial counselors were uncharacteristically quiet and said nothing as they led the campers into the forest.

Hinata felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle as soon as she entered the shade of the trees. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Kiba, who was walking beside her, was unusually tense, telling her that he was aware of it as well.

Deciding to ignore it to the best of her ability, she continued deeper into the forest, unconsciously drifting closer to the brunette by her side.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

It crept forward slowly, trying to keep it's movements as silent as possible. Unfortunately, it had miscalculated and the humans passed closer to it's hiding place than it had anticipated. Quickly, it pressed itself further into the forest floor to remain out of sight.

The humans continued on without even the slightest hesitation; it's error had not been costly. Carefully, it began to follow them, taking care to remain in the shadows. The scent of flesh and blood hit it's nostrils and it eagerly drank it in. The humans had taken the latest body, and it was growing impatient with the aching hunger in it's stomach. It took nearly all of it's self-control to refrain from attacking the humans it was following. The soft, feminine voice whispered to it from the back of it's mind to wait, that the game would be so much more satisfying, and the reward sweeter. And so it held back.

It stiffened and crouched down again as one of the humans paused and looked back. It was a female, with long indigo hair and pale eyes which, after a moment of searching, rested on it's hiding place. It suppressed the urge to flinch under her gaze. Could she see it? No, it had hidden itself, there was no way…

It began to plan it's course of action, should it be spotted. It would first separate her from the group. Yes, then silence her, perhaps by breaking her jaw. It wouldn't kill her immediately, oh no. Her death would be slow and painful, involving blood, lots of it, for it liked fresh blood, newly spilt from a still-warm body.

It's mind made up, it stated to creep slowly forward. Every inch that drew it closer to her sent tingles of joy and anticipation throughout it's body. It was only five feet away now…

Suddenly, it's limbs locked up as the feminine voice in it's mind returned. Her voice was considerably louder as she reminded it that the girl was hers, and hers alone. Without her, the game would be over, and she loved her games. It was not to touch her.

Reluctantly, it shrank back into the shadows, just as another human joined the girl. It was a male this time with brown hair and matching eyes. It watched as he leaned in and asked the girl something. She shook her head and took his hand, pulling him with her as she hurried to catch up with the retreating group of humans.

It waited for a minute or so before following.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"You saw something, didn't you," Kiba said after a few minutes of silence. It was a statement, not a question.

Hinata looked down at her feet, searching for the right words, "Not exactly…"

At Kiba's puzzled look, she continued, "Whatever was following us…it…it was close, really close. I couldn't see it, but I could _feel_ it."

He nodded, an understanding glimmer in his eyes, and glanced back over his shoulder.

"It's farther away now," she told him.

He shrugged, "Can't blame me for trying."

This earned him a small smile from the girl beside him.

It only took them another five or so minutes to reach the old barn. The dense trees of the forest gave way to the small clearing in which it rested, accompanied by a small paddock. The horses had already been saddled and were grazing in the enclosure which was just big enough to hold them.

Anko and Kurenai began leading the campers to their horses. After showing Ino and Sakura to theirs, Kurenai led Hinata to a beautiful white mare.

"Her name is Kitai," she said, holding the reins while Hinata hoisted herself onto the saddle, "But she listens better when you call her Kita. It was a nickname her former owner gave her."

Hinata nodded in acknowledgement, stroking the mare's mane, "Hey there, Kita."

Kurenai handed Hinata the reins and went to help Anko with the rest of the campers.

Hinata was shifting into a more comfortable position in her saddle when she noticed Temari sitting against the barn wall.

"Temari-chan?" Hinata asked, urging Kita forward so she didn't have to raise her voice.

"Oh, hey Hinata," Temari said.

"Aren't you coming?"

The blonde shook her head, "I don't really feel up to it. I'll just stay here and wait for you guys to get back."

"But is that a good idea? I mean, after what happened…" she trailed off, unsure of how to voice her concern without upsetting Temari.

She waved off Hinata's concern, "I'll be fine."

"But what if something happens? You'll be alone…"

Temari opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by another voice: "She won't be alone."

"Shino-kun?" Hinata asked, surprised to see her friend walking over to where Temari was sitting.

"I'll stay with her," he continued, "I don't really like horses anyway. I think a day of relaxing in the shade will do us both some good."

"O…ok, if you're sure…" Hinata said.

"We'll be fine," Temari assured her, smiling slightly, her cheeks tinged with pink, "And I think the group is about to leave; you better get over there before they leave you behind."

Hinata glanced over her shoulder. Temari was right.

"Ok, see you later Temari-chan, Shino-kun!" She said, turning Kita around and heading toward the group.

"We need two single-file lines," Anko was saying, "Kurenai and I will lead you; Kotetsu and Izumo will bring up the back to make sure none of you maggots fall behind."

TenTen and Neji fell in behind the two female counselors, immersed in conversation. TenTen was gesturing about something with her hands, talking animatedly while Neji listened, occasionally adding something or nodding his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. Hinata repressed the urge to grin. Only TenTen could command Neji's undivided attention like that.

Naruto and Sasuke followed them, bickering about something (Hinata was too far away to hear) as usual. Over the past year, Hinata had begun to notice just how close the two boys were. Something about them just screamed of a relationship deeper than friendship. Maybe it was the brief yet habitual touches, or the way Sasuke would ruffle Naruto's hair just to annoy him, or the way Naruto would lean so close that their noses were practically touching in the heat of an argument, cheeks flushed with both anger and determination.

Many of her classmates still thought that Naruto liked Sakura, but Hinata knew better. It was true, of course, that Naruto had been infatuated with Sakura all through middle school. However, upon starting their freshman year of high school, he seemed to have moved on. He still, undoubtedly, found her very attractive, but harbored no deeper feelings for her than friendship.

At first, Hinata thought that it was her chance to win over his affections. However, Naruto had never shown even the slightest spark of interest. And now she was beginning to really see why.

The sound of Shikamaru's voice broke through Hinata's thoughts. He and Ino fell in behind Naruto and Sasuke. For once, it was Shikamaru who was doing the talking while Ino listened attentively, seeming genuinely interested in what he had to say.

Following them were Chouji and Gaara. Chouji was nervously trying to make conversation while Gaara remained silent, looking like he would love to strangle his chubby classmate.

Hinata urged Kita forward and took the spot behind Gaara. She half expected Sakura to join her, but wasn't surprised (and far from upset) when Kiba came up beside her instead.

"Where's Shino?" He asked, looking around.

"He's staying here with Temari-chan," Hinata explained, "She wasn't feeling up to it."

Kiba nodded solemnly, "That's understandable after what happened…but why's Shino staying too?"

"He said that he would rather relax and that he didn't really like horses anyway."

Kiba chuckled, "That sly dog! He just wanted to be alone with her! It was a smooth move, I'll give him credit for that."

"Shino-kun and Temari-chan?" Hinata wondered aloud, turning the idea over in her mind.

"You haven't noticed the way he's been looking at her over the past few days?"

She shook her head.

He laughed, "Well, watch them closely next time you see them together; you may be surprised."

Hinata smiled and nodded to show that she would.

The group started off at a slow walk, leaving the barn behind and entering the forest. Conversation ceased for the most part (Hinata could hear Lee and Sakura talking in hushed voices behind her) as the campers took in the scenery and focused on following Anko and Kurenai as they led them deeper and deeper into the trees.

Hinata tightened her grip on Kita's reigns as the forest became denser, allowing little direct sunlight in. only rarely would a ray be able to break through the thick canopy above them. Hinata waited for the slowly-becoming familiar feeling of being watched with bated breath. However, as the minutes began to pass and no such feeling came, she relaxed slightly, her mind spinning with confusion.

She glanced over at Kiba. The brunette was visibly at ease, a small smile on his face as his dark eyes scanned the their surroundings with interest. Seeing him so calm, Hinata relaxed completely. And as the trail began to rise and fall over hills, her attention shifted to keeping Kita on the path and helping her maintain her footing. Any thoughts of being followed and the events that had happened slipped from her mind.

They continued on for over an hour, speaking sparingly. Just as Hinata's legs began to ache, the trees thinned out and opened into a small clearing. There were a handful of picnic tables scattered about the area along with a place to tie up the horses.

Hinata slid off of Kita and wrapped her reigns around the wooden post, keeping them long enough to allow the horse to graze. She then followed Kiba to the table where the counselors were setting out food.

"You seem relaxed," Kiba commented as Hinata took a sandwich.

She smiled, "I haven't heard or felt anything since we left the barn."

Kiba grinned, "That's great! Maybe our friend decided to give us the afternoon off."

The rational part of Hinata's mind fiercely disagreed, but Hinata was in too good of a mood to let it bother her. So she said nothing, merely following Kiba to where Neji, TenTen, Sakura, and Lee were sitting.

"What happened to Shino?" Sakura asked as Hinata sat down beside her.

"He stayed behind with Temari," Kiba answered, sitting down next to Neji.

"That's really nice of him," TenTen said, frowning, "I'd bet she needs the company."

"It's strange though," Neji said, "I was never under the impression that she was so close to Kankurou."

"He was her brother," TenTen pointed out, "and her teammate. I mean, how would _you_ feel if Hinata or Lee died?"

Neji gaped at her for a moment before replying, "Well…if it was Lee, I wouldn't really care…"

The rest of the table stared at him in shock. Then a grin spread across his face and he laughed.

"You really thought I was being serious?" He asked.

Lee sighed with relief while Sakura shook her head slowly. Kiba and Hinata exchanged a shocked look. Neji? Making a joke?

"Ok…well, what if I died?" TenTen asked.

Neji sobered immediately, "Really, I don't know what I would do…"

Hinata felt warmth for her cousin engulf her. She and Neji, throughout middle school, had been far from close. It was only recently that they had decided to let go of the past and treat each other as siblings. She couldn't imagine losing him either.

"So…anyone know what's going on tonight?" Kiba asked, steering the conversation into a lighter subject.

"No idea," Sakura said.

"Maybe another campfire cookout?" Lee suggested, his eyes lighting up just at the thought.

"I doubt it," Neji said, "After what happened? I'm surprised that we're even out horseback riding."

"Alright you maggots!" Anko's yell discouraged any further conversation, "Pack up, we're leaving!"

Kiba mumbled something about the 'crazy female counselors' not giving them enough time to eat and wolfed down the rest of his sandwich while Lee cheered in wholehearted agreement.

It took a few minutes to get everybody on their horses and back in line.

"There's a field a little ways ahead of us," Kurenai said, as the group set off, "You can pick up the pace once we get there, if you're tired of walking so slowly."

Kiba sent Hinata an excited grin, making her giggle. Maybe this day wouldn't turn out so bad after all…

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Takashi hung up the phone with more force than necessary. He ran a hand through his dark hair, groaning in frustration.

"No luck?" Kyoko guessed, handing him a cup of coffee.

He accepted the cup gratefully, "Thanks."

She nodded and took a seat on the couch opposite him.

"Well?" She urged.

Takashi took a long drink before replying, "No, no luck. These guys actually offered me the number for the insane asylum in Miketsukan."

"Miketsukan?"

"It's a town about two hours north of here."

"Oh…" Kyoko pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, "So what are we going to do? That was the last rescue team in the area."

He shook his head hopelessly, "I don't know…"

Kyoko picked up the article that they (totally) didn't steal from the library and read it again.

"We need to get those kids out of there," She said, "Everything seems to stem from this incident. If people are in danger just being a few miles away from the camp, imagine what could happen to the people who are actually there."

"I know…but how – " Takashi was cut off by a loud knock on the door of his apartment.

Exchanging a glance with Kyoko, he stood up and went to answer it. He found, much to his surprise, Daisuke standing in his doorway.

"D….Daisuke?" Takashi stammered, eyes wide.

"Can I come in?" He asked, keeping his eyes on his feet.

"Of course!" Takashi stood back to allow the younger man to enter.

"Daisuke?" Kyoko asked, standing up, "What are you doing here?"

"I…I just wanted to apologize," he answered, still refusing to make eye contact with either of his friends, "I was just so shocked after what happened…I wasn't thinking clearly."

Kyoko's face softened and she pulled Daisuke into a hug.

"Don't worry about it," Takashi said, patting him on the back.

"Have you found out anything?" Daisuke asked as Kyoko released him.

Wordlessly, Takashi handed him the article. Daisuke read it quickly before shooting him a quizzical look.

"That's great and all, but what does this have to do with…what happened?" He asked.

Kyoko immediately began to explain, Takashi jumping in at the end to fill him in about their failed attempts to get help. Daisuke listened attentively, nodding every once in awhile to show that he understood. When they were done, he was silent.

"So…you think that all of the 'accidents' on the mountain are linked to this incident?" He asked finally.

"Don't you?" Kyoko asked.

"It does make sense…I mean, it's absurd, but after what I saw, I'm pretty sure that nothing could surprise me."

"The problem is, nobody believes us," Takashi said, frowning.

"I'm guessing that you've been telling them about what happened?" Daisuke asked.

"Well…yeah," Kyoko replied.

"Are you both stupid?! You can't call a rescue team and expect them to help you with a story like that!"

"So what do you suggest?" Takashi asked before Kyoko could start arguing.

"Try a different approach," Daisuke said.

"Well…I guess that could work…" Kyoko said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"We should make up a real emergency, something that they would respond to," Takashi said, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"I'll head back to the library and look through files about the camp, to see if there's anything that can give us a legitimate excuse," Kyoko offered.

"Good idea," Takashi said, "Then, Daisuke, you'll call the closest rescue team and ask them for help."

Daisuke nodded in consent.

"Alright," Kyoko said, grabbing the keys to the truck, "I'll call if I find anything."

"If you do, bring back the articles!" Takashi called after her.

She waved to show that she had heard.

"So, now what?" Daisuke asked as soon as she left.

"We wait."

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

When they reached the clearing, Hinata almost fell off of her horse in shock. It was the same clearing she had seen in her dream, complete with the ocean of wild cosmos.

"Wow," Kiba breathed beside her, "This is beautiful."

She nodded numbly.

"Ok, you're all free to do whatever," Anko said, "Just don't get lost."

Lee had already slipped off of his horse and collected a large bouquet of the pink flowers. He excitedly handed them to Sakura exclaiming, "Sakura-chaaan! These flowers remind me of your youth and beauty!"

Sakura giggled and flushed as she accepted them. Kiba smirked in their direction and Hinata felt herself relax. TenTen and Ino were whispering to each other, glancing at Lee and Sakura. Hinata actually smiled, thinking about how badly her two other roommates were going to tease Sakura that night.

"Well, I don't know about you," Kiba said, "But I'm bored with walking."

Hinata nodded in agreement. Together, they both spurred their horses into motion, pushing them into a steady trot. Quickly, it became a race. Hinata was grateful that she had taken horseback riding lessons in middle school as Kita broke into a canter. Kiba, not to be outdone, urged his horse faster.

Hinata felt the wind rip through her hair, enjoying the coolness that it provided. Her heart felt light, as if there was nothing left to worry about. It was just her and Kiba, racing through a beautiful sea of pink and green. She glanced over at him and felt her heart skip a beat at the liveliness of his dark eyes.

She didn't know that she was laughing until they reached the edge of the field and were forced to stop.

Kiba grinned over at her. "That was fun," he said.

"Yeah," she replied breathlessly.

"Hey, lovebirds!" TenTen called, trotting over, Neji hot on her heels.

"What?" Kiba asked while Hinata blushed.

"Kotetsu-sensei and Izumo-sensei are heading back to camp," TenTen said, "What do you say we go back with them and see how Temari and Shino are doing?"

"Ok," Hinata said.

"Sounds good," Kiba agreed.

"So you four are coming back with us?" Izumo asked, appearing behind Neji and TenTen.

They nodded.

"Alright," Kotetsu said, "I'm going to pick up the pace a bit. Anyone who wants to walk, stay with Izumo."

Neji and TenTen decided to walk back and enjoy the scenery.

Before they left, Hinata saw Izumo lean close to Kotetsu and whisper, "Be careful, alright?"

Kotetsu smiled, "Don't worry, I'll see you back at the barn."

Izumo nodded. Kotetsu, Kiba, and Hinata started forward, Kotetsu setting a steady pace.

They were back at the barn in a matter of minutes and were surprised that, upon arriving, Temari and Shino were nowhere in sight.

Hinata, assuming that they were somewhere in the barn, slid off of Kita, put away her saddle, cleaned her up, and led her back to her stall. She then helped Kiba, who was having trouble with his horse's saddle.

"Where're Shino and Temari?" He asked once his horse was back in his stall.

"I don't know," Hinata admitted, looking around, "I thought that they would be in here somewhere, to escape the sun."

"Shino? Temari?" Kiba called.

No answer.

Hinata began to get nervous.

"Don't worry," Kiba tried to reassure her, "They probably just went back to camp or something."

The sound of TenTen's voice kept Hinata from replying.

"Hinata? Are you there?" TenTen called.

"In here!" Hinata replied.

"Ah, there you are," TenTen said, leading her horse into her stall, "Hey Kiba. Where's Neji?"

"Wasn't he with you?" Kiba asked.

"Well, yeah, but he decided to run off and join you guys," TenTen explained.

Hinata and Kiba exchanged a confused look.

"We haven't seen him," Hinata said, beginning to grow even more worried.

"Maybe he passed us and walked back to camp with Temari and Shino," Kiba suggested.

"Temari and Shino aren't here?" TenTen asked.

"No, we can't find them."

"Then you're probably right," TenTen said, "They all probably just walked back together."

"But I didn't see him pass us," Hinata argued, frowning.

"You didn't see the other paths in the forest?" Kiba asked, "We went past a couple, he probably just took a different one."

That seemed to satisfy TenTen, but Hinata was still nervous. Neji could have gotten lost, or injured, or…Hinata shook her head fiercely, refusing to think about what else could have happened.

The rest of the group arrived shortly afterwards. Hinata and TenTen went around helping their friends with their horses (especially Naruto, who, somehow, managed to get tangled up in his horse's reigns).

By the time they began to head back to the camp, Hinata was beginning to relax. However, they were half-way back when Hinata realized that she had forgotten something.

"Shoot!" She exclaimed, searching her pockets, "I forgot my cell phone in the barn."

"Do you want me to go back with you to get it?" Ino offered.

"No," Hinata replied, "Thanks though. You go ahead, I'll catch up later."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she said, turning back in the direction of the barn.

"We'll meet you in the cafeteria!" Sakura called after her.

Hinata waved to show that she had heard.

The barn doors were still open when Hinata reached the old, red building. She hurried inside, wanting to find her phone and return to the cafeteria before night fell. There was no way she was going to wander around the camp in the dark.

She found her phone beside Kita's stall. The white mare stuck her head out and whinnied.

"Hey," Hinata greeted her, smiling softly and stroking her nose.

Suddenly, Kita pulled away, eyes widening, and stumbled backwards, obviously spooked.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

Kita's only reply was a loud whinny as she retreated even farther into the shadowy corners of her stall.

Hinata frowned. She knew that horses had much stronger senses than humans. Seeing Kita so spooked made Hinata nervous.

Her thought were interrupted by a loud crash. She turned around quickly, her heart racing. Stray pieces of straw slowly descended to the barn floor, landing near the ruins of an old, wooden table. Something had fallen from the rafters.

Carefully, Hinata approached the scene. As she did so, a feeling of dread engulfed her. She swallowed audibly and took the last few steps. Fingers shaking, she pulled back a large piece of wood that was blocking her view.

She dropped it and began to scream.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, I really hope it was worth the wait! I'm heading to Montana next week and I don't think that I can get the next chapter out before then, but I'll hopefully have it up as soon as I get back ^^

Also, I actually named the chapter after a movie called _It Waits_ made back in 2006. I thought the title would kinda fit mainly because of the scene where 'it' was following Hinata and the gang (which was really fun to write actually). The effects are pretty crappy, but the storyline is decent, and I may take some ideas from it for later chapters. So, if you're ever bored and feel like seeing a mediocre horror movie, look it up ^^

Please, please review!


	7. Saeki Sachiko

**A/N:**

Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is a little late :( I thought I could get it finished before I left for Montana (and I almost did!) but...yeah, that kinda didn't happen. This chapter was absolute hell to write anyway. A lot is given away in it, and I agonized for _hours_ on what and how much I was giving away. Seriously, I probably rewrote the chapter as a whole twice and a couple of different scenes (like the office scene) almost four times before I thought that it was good enough. It was exhausting, lol.

Even though I'm starting school tomorrow (*dies*) I should have chapter 8 out pretty soon. I already have most of my ideas gathered, I just need to put it all together ^^

A HUGE thanks to JapanAnimeRox, Death-Angel-of-Anime, Number 1 Outcast, Sniffy Sand, lovepeacebre, Byzantea, Sharklover101, luvr4fantanim, and RhiaJ for your reviews! Thank you guys so much!

Well, enjoy the chapter! :D

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto...why the hell would I be writing _fan_fiction?

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* * *

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**Running Scared**

Chapter 7: Saeki Sachiko

Takashi was jerked out of a pleasant sleep by the sound of the door to his apartment slamming. He groaned and shifted into a more comfortable position in his chair, attempting to return to his dream.

"Wake up!" A voice snapped through his drowsiness.

He muttered something unintelligible and turned away from the too-loud voice. Pain erupted in the side of his head, forcing his eyes to fly open.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, whirling around to face his attacker.

"What the fuck Takashi?!" Kyoko snapped, obviously irritated, "I've been calling you for the past hour!"

Takashi blinked slowly, rubbing the sore spot on his head, "Really?"

Kyoko groaned, "You're hopeless!"

Daisuke stumbled into the room, also rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Is that Kyoko?"

"So…I'm guessing that you found something?" Takashi asked, trying to keep his friend from strangling him.

Wordlessly, she shoved a thick stack of articles into his arms. Daisuke reached over and grabbed a few, reading through them with wide eyes. As Takashi scanned a few of them, Kyoko began to speak.

"While I was looking for some former emergency that we could use," she said, "I stumbled across these. Every year since the murder, at least one person has been killed at that camp! All of the deaths were caused by freak accidents, just like the ones on the mountain."

"No kidding," Daisuke said, "This one said that these two kids got locked in the freezer and were in there for over a week before one of the cooks found them."

"About twenty years ago, some girl drowned in a bathtub," Takashi added, "No idea how she pulled that one off…"

"But get this," Kyoko continued, "These were all 'accidents'. There's never been anything like a tornado blocking off the main road. Whatever is going on up there, it's definitely no accident this time."

"Why the hell do parents still let their kids go?!" Daisuke asked, completely baffled.

"Because all of the deaths were supposedly caused by accidents," Takashi said, "So it would seem like the camp itself had nothing to do with it…"

"Shit…we need to get up there," Daisuke muttered, setting down the articles he was holding.

"Yeah, but how?" Takashi asked, "It would be pretty stupid to try driving up there again, and no one is gonna help us unless we give them a solid reason for going up there!"

"I've been thinking about that," Kyoko said, "Even if we came up with a legitimate excuse to send a rescue team to the camp, what would we tell them once we got there and they realize that we lied to them? Do you think that they'll still help us?"

Takashi thought about it for a minute before replying, "Well…you have a point…but even if our excuse was a lie, it's true that we need to get everyone away from the camp before something terrible happens, if it hasn't already."

Daisuke nodded in agreement, "The rescue team may be irked that we lied to them, but it won't change the fact that their help will be needed."

Kyoko sighed, "Yeah…I guess, you guys are right."

"So all we need now is an excuse…" Takashi said, "I just hope that it's in time to prevent any fatalities…"

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Life is cruel. This was a lesson Hinata had to learn in the span of less than five seconds. Even as a wordless shriek of terror escaped her lips, she was learning what would become the most important lesson of her life. However, it seemed that the second it dawned upon her, her mind shut down. The only thing it registered was the icy emotion that rendered her motionless.

Fear.

She did not stop screaming as her eyes took in the gruesome scene before her. Instead, and, if at all possible, she screamed louder. Before, she had always believed that there were just some things in life that couldn't be possible. Now, she realized, anything was.

The body in front of her was almost mutilated beyond recognition. Long gashes and stab wounds covered nearly every inch of the corpse, including its face. Yet, surprisingly, the only blood that Hinata saw was the blood that ran down the cheeks of the victim. Her pale eyes followed the small crimson rivers and felt her stomach give a terrible lurch.

_The victim's eyes had been gouged out._

However, when Hinata looked past the grisly injuries, she saw the long, trademark brown hair.

"NEJI!"

Her shriek must have alerted the others for in a matter of seconds, warm, strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Hinata…"

Immediately recognizing Kiba's voice, the young girl turned around and buried her face in his chest, sobs wracking her entire body.

"Hinata?"

She didn't answer. Then, she felt Kiba stiffen against her.

"Oh God," he breathed, "Everybody! Get in here, NOW!"

There was a huge rush of worried footsteps. Hinata didn't look up.

"What is it?" Naruto's voice called out.

"Kiba? What happened? Is Hinata ok?" Sakura asked.

"Did she say 'Neji'?" TenTen asked, "Has he been here this whole time?"

Hinata sobbed harder. A horrified scream pierced the night.

"OhGod," Shikamaru gasped.

"What happened?!" Ino shouted.

Suddenly, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

"N…Neji?" TenTen whispered, "Neji? NEJI! OH MY GOD!"

Her heart-wretched sobs pierced Hinata's heart like a shard of ice.

"Naruto, go get one of the counselors!" Kiba ordered.

"B…but," the blonde began to protest.

"Now Naruto!"

Hinata heard Naruto leave, cursing under his breath.

"Baka, wait!" Sasuke snapped, chasing after him, "There's no way I'm letting you go out there alone!"

Both of their footsteps faded away as they vanished into the forest.

"Hinata," Kiba breathed, stroking her hair, "Come with me."

"No!" Hinata protested, struggling fiercely as her friend tried to lead her away from Neji's body.

"Hinata…"

"No! Neji…he….I," Hinata chocked out, beyond the point of trying to make sense.

"I know," Kiba whispered, "I know. Come on, let's get you out of here."

She went limp and allowed him to half-drag her out of the barn. Once they were away from the barn doors, Kiba pulled Hinata into a gentle hug. She buried her face in his chest again and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Shhh," he hushed her as she began to sob again, "It's ok. It's going to be ok."

She just clung to him tighter as he whispered silent nothings in her ear. His soothing voice was the only thing that was keeping her from going into hysterics. He held her like that for an immeasurable amount of time, whispering calmingly and rubbing her back. Eventually, Hinata's eyelids began to feel heavy. Kiba's voice was the last thing she heard as her vision went dark.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Takashi was reading an article about a boy who had fallen out of a tree and had cracked his head open on a rock when Kyoko sat down next to him on the couch.

"Any thoughts about this?" She asked, curling up next to him and yawning.

"Nothing," Takashi said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Read me that murder article again, would you?"

He blinked, "Um, sure, but why?"

Kyoko shrugged sleepily, "Since everything seems to stem from that incident, hearing the story again may give me some ideas."

Takashi smiled, "Alright, just don't fall asleep on me, ok?"

"Ok."

"Promise."

"Yeah, yeah, just get reading."

"So impatient…" Takashi laughed, pulling out the murder article. He glanced over at Kyoko before beginning to read:

"Saeki Sachiko, eighteen, was found dead last Saturday morning at Camp Ayakashi. According to two of her friends, who have opted to remain nameless, she went missing from the camp's opening celebration the previous night. The camp's counselors immediately sent out a search part, but it was to no avail. A fellow camper found Saeki's body while swimming in Lake Dekishi the following morning. Saeki had been stabbed thirteen times and had suffered numerous other injuries. However, perhaps the most shocking injury she had sustained was the injury to her eyes, both of which were completely gouged out. Almost equally as shocking, her mouth had been stitched shut. The autopsy report shows that not only was she brutally murdered, but she was also raped beforehand. The doctors who performed the autopsy believe that Saeki's murderer stitched her mouth in order to keep her quiet. The police are still looking for the murderer but, so far, have no leads."

"It's a shame," Kyoko said, frowning, "She was so young…"

"Did that help?" Takashi asked.

"Nope."

Daisuke suddenly stood up, tripping over his own feet in his excitement.

"Guys, look at this!" He gasped breathlessly, scrambling back to his feet while Kyoko sent him a slightly amused look.

He threw an article down on the coffee table.

"What?" Takashi asked, seeing nothing special about it.

Daisuke pointed to the picture on the bottom right. It was a man who looked to be in his mid thirties. He had short cropped brown hair which could barely be seen from under his baseball cap.

Takashi dropped the murder article and sat up straight, his jaw dropping in shock. "Th…that's the guy who killed Satoru!!"

"_What?_" Kyoko asked, also sitting up, her shoulder brushing Takashi's. Her eyes widened, "Holy shit, you're right!"

"The article says that he was doing some repair work on the old barn at the camp," Daisuke said, "And he fell onto some of the camp's equipment that was being stored there. Apparently he was impaled by some of the sharper objects and electrocuted."

"That's terrible," Kyoko murmured, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Then that explains the bloodstains and singed hair…" Takashi said, replaying Satoru's death over again in his mind.

"What do you mean?" Daisuke asked.

"Do you remember the way he looked on the mountain?" Takashi asked, "His clothes were covered in blood and he had barely any hair left on his head."

"You're right," Kyoko breathed.

"Wait, Kyoko," Daisuke said slowly, "Didn't you say that there have been at least fifty deaths at the camp over the last fifty years?"

Kyoko nodded, "Yeah, not exactly fifty but…" She trailed off, her eyes widening even further.

Takashi felt his blood run cold as he exchanged a horrified look with her.

"Oh fuck..." was all he could say.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

When Hinata awoke the next morning, she was back in her cabin with no recollection of how she had gotten there. The last thing she could remember was Kiba's voice before it was replaced by darkness.

'_I must've fallen asleep_' she thought, rubbing her stiff neck and yawning.

Her sleep had been undisturbed by nightmares and she felt more awake and well-rested than she had felt in months. A quick glance outside of her window told her that it was going to be a beautiful day. It was nearly impossible to disallow her spirits to soar.

She heard a small noise from the bunk above hers. Curious, Hinata slipped out of her bed and stood up to investigate the sound. The second her gaze met TenTen's bloodshot eyes, her stomach dropped and her memories of the previous night began to surface in an overwhelmingly fast rate.

'_Neji…_'

"TenTen-chan…" she murmured, crawling up beside her friend and pulling her into a comforting hug, "I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…"

"I loved him," TenTen wailed, tears spilling down her cheeks, "And I never…I never told him!"

"He knew," the words were out of Hinata's mouth before she could even register that she was speaking them, "He knew. And I _know_ that he loved you too."

TenTen inhaled a shuddering breath, "Really?"

"Really," Hinata nodded, blinking back her own tears for the cousin she had lost.

"Thank you, Hinata," TenTen whispered.

Hinata pulled away from the embrace slowly and locked eyes with her friend.

"TenTen-chan," she said, "I need you to tell me that story about the camp again."

"What story?" TenTen asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"On our first night here, we decided to share scary stories," Hinata explained, "And you told one about a girl who died at this camp."

"Oh," she said, "I remember…but why?"

"I…" Hinata hesitated, unsure of what her friend would think should she tell her the truth, "I think that her death has something to do with the murders…"

"How so?"

"Wasn't the girl killed in a very similar way to Kankurou-kun and Neji-kun?"

TenTen's eyes widened, "You're right! So, you think that there's a copycat?"

"…It's a possibility," Hinata decided to agree.

"Well, the girl was about our age," TenTen began, "And she went missing during the dance held in celebration of the camp's opening fifty years ago. One of her friends found her mutilated body the next morning while she was swimming in Lake Dekishi."

"What was the girl's name?"

TenTen shrugged, "Look, I don't even know if it's a true story, to be honest. Some guy at school told it to me to creep me out or something."

Hinata nodded, trying to think of what she could do with the limited information she had, "Ok, thank you, TenTen-chan." She glanced at the clock on her phone. It was nearing noon. "Do you want to go get some lunch?"

TenTen shook her head, her expression becoming distant again.

"Should I bring you back something?"

"No, thanks," TenTen said, staring at her feet.

"Alright," Hinata climbed down, feeling slightly guilty for leaving, "I'll see you in a bit, ok?"

"Ok," TenTen's voice was steady, but Hinata could see that her friend was struggling to keep her composure.

Hinata nodded to her and left, beginning to quickly make her way toward the cafeteria. When she reached it, she found Kiba sitting at a table with Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. She put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "I need to talk to you."

He nodded, standing up, and following her to the hallway beside the kitchen, where they would have more privacy.

"What is it?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Have you ever heard the story about the murder at this camp?" She asked, also lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Well, yeah," Kiba said, "Everyone knows that story. I thought that it was just a legend that counselors told campers to keep them from wandering around at night."

His eyes widened with comprehension as he caught the expression on her face.

"Wait. You don't think…" he trailed off.

"I'm not sure," Hinata admitted, "But the girl in my dreams matches the description, from the hair and dress to the wounds on her body. It all depends on whether or not the murder was real."

Kiba rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, the counselors will never tell us anything."

"So what do we do?"

He chuckled, "Isn't it obvious?"

She shook her head.

"We need to sneak into Tsunade-sama's office and look through her files. If it really happened, I'm sure that she would have a copy of a news article about it, or some other kind of file," He explained.

"S…Sneak into Tsunade-sama's office?" Hinata asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"Can you think of any other way?"

"B…but…"

"Look, Hinata, do you want to know or not?"

Hinata hesitated before answering. She knew that breaking into Tsuande's office was wrong, and that she and Kiba would be punished if caught. However, she needed to know about the murder like she needed air. Though she knew that it was wrong, she had no other option.

"Ok," she breathed, "Ok, let's go."

"Follow me and keep quiet," Kiba ordered, glancing back at the main part of the cafeteria, "There's nothing scheduled for today, so it won't matter is we aren't hanging around with the others. We just need to make sure that the counselors don't see us hanging around Tsunade-sama's office for too long."

Hinata nodded and followed Kiba as he silently slipped out of the cafeteria. Tsunade's office was located on the opposite side of the semi-circle, closest to the main entrance of the camp. Thankfully, it was also the closest building to the trail that led to the cabins, so approaching it would not seem suspicious.

Kiba and Hinata passed the office without so much as sparing it a glance. Once they were out of sight of the clearing, however, Hinata followed as Kiba left the trail and entered the forest. Under the cover of the tress, they snuck back toward the clearing and reemerged behind the office building. Keeping low, they slipped beneath the building's single back window, out of sight of prying eyes. Carefully, Kiba peeked over the windowsill and peered in.

Hinata knew that something was wrong as soon as she saw Kiba stiffen.

"What is it?" She asked, "Is Tsunade-sama in there?"

He pulled away from the window, his usually tan face white as a sheet, "Hinata, we should go."

"What? Why? Did she see you?" Hinata asked even though she had a sinking feeling that Tsunade had nothing to do with the horrified expression on her friend's face.

Kiba took in a shuddering breath and grabbed her arm, beginning to pull her away, "Um…yeah, we should really go before she decides to investigate."

There was something off in his voice. Hinata frowned and pulled away, fixing him with a hard stare that he refused to meet.

"You're lying," she said, standing up from her crouching position and turning back to the window.

"Wait, Hinata! Don't – "

Hinata felt her legs give out with shock and she quickly gripped the windowsill to keep herself upright. She was vaguely aware of Kiba calling her name, but she heard his voice as if it was traveling through a thick fog, faded, slurred, and almost completely drowned out by the loud pounding of her heart in her ears. The world spun around her, to the point where even though she had a firm grip on the windowsill, she still found it difficult to remain on her feet.

Kiba pulled her away from the window and gently lowered her into a sitting position on the ground. Though she still couldn't understand what he was saying, his voice was soothing and soon enough her mind was clear once again.

"Are you ok?" He asked, concern practically dripping from his words.

Hinata took in a deep breath and said, "Yes…just…shocked."

He laughed harshly, "Well isn't _that_ the understatement of the century."

Her lips twitched into a half-smile for a few milliseconds. Kiba stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and rose shakily back to her feet. But as he began to pull her back toward the cabins, she let her hand slip out of his. He paused, sending her a confused look.

"I…I still think that we should…investigate Tsunade-sama's office," Hinata confessed.

Kiba stared at her, completely bewildered, "What?"

"This murder…if it really happened, could explain so much about…about what has been happening," Hinata tried to explain, "I…I just can't pass up a chance like this."

If possible, Kiba's eyes widened even further, and Hinata knew why. Even she was surprised by her willingness to not only break the rules, but to do it under such circumstances.

Kiba finally relented, "Ok, but only if you're sure about this."

"I am," Hinata assured him nervously yet firmly.

She heard Kiba swallow audibly before testing the window. To their mingled surprise, it slid open easily. He paused for a minute or so, gripping the wood of the windowsill tightly, before pulling himself into the office. As soon as he had his feet on the office's floor, he turned back and helped Hinata climb in after him.

Hinata's sneakers made horrible squelching sound on the wet carpet. She nearly choked at the oppressive, coppery scent of blood. The crimson liquid was everywhere. It formed large pools on the floor, which Hinata tried to avoid as she made her way over to the large desk against the left wall of the room. Blood had collected on top of the wooden surface and had overflowed, still dripping onto the carpet. The red that splattered the walls contrasted heavily with their original white paint, forming a cruel, twisted masterpiece.

"This can't be possible," Kiba muttered, covering his sensitive nose, "Things like this just don't happen!"

Hinata ignored him. Her eyes were drawn to one of the two file cabinets on the opposite end of the room. The one closest to her was completely covered in blood that seemed to ooze out of the top drawer. The one beside it, however, was mostly clean, only stained on the bottommost drawer due to the enormous pool of crimson that was spreading from the other.

Slowly, Hinata began to make her way toward it, ignoring the blood that coated her sneakers. She was unsurprised when she found the drawer to be locked.

"Kiba-kun?" She asked, "Can you look around Tsunade-sama's desk for a key?"

He tipped his head to the side and sent her a confused look, but didn't argue. She turned back to the file cabinet, only half listening to the rustling of damp paper from Tsunade's desk.

"Found it!" Kiba exclaimed triumphantly, holding up a small silver key.

Once Hinata managed to get the drawer open, she had to turn away. It was as if she had pulled a dam out of a great river. Blood gushed from the open drawer and cascaded down to the floor in waterfalls. She had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from gagging as she felt the warm, sticky liquid coat her legs and shoes.

"Look at that!" Kiba said, pointing at something in the drawer.

Hinata followed his finger and saw a white tab sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the dark crimson files. She held her breath and pulled the clean file out. Not knowing what to expect, she opened it slowly and stared at the single piece of paper it contained.

It was a camper file. Her heart beginning to beat rapidly, Hinata completely skipped the information on the paper and instead rested her gaze on the picture in the bottom right corner. It was a picture of a girl with black hair who was smiling shyly at the camera. There was a streak of blood across her eyes, as if someone had taken their finger and had tried to cross out her eyes. The layer of blood was thin enough for Hinata to make out the beautiful blue color of said eyes.

"This is her," she whispered breathlessly, showing Kiba the paper, "This is the girl in my dreams!"

He took the paper and read, "Saeki Sachiko, eighteen, from Konohagakure. She lived with foster parents, went to Konoha high, and was a pretty good student."

"Is that all it says?"

"Well, it just has some stuff like the results of her physical, her address, and some release forms that her foster parents had to fill out," he said, "You know, the usual."

"What was her address?"

"What?"

"Her address."

"Um, 800 Byakugan Avenue, why?"

Hinata felt her body go numb. Kiba's eyes widened and he almost dropped the file in his shock.

"Isn't that…"

Hinata nodded wordlessly. Sachiko, the girl who had been haunting Hinata's dreams for months, had lived in her very house fifty years ago.

Kiba took the folder from Hinata and put it, along with Sachiko's camper file, back into the cabinet.

"We should probably go," he suggested, noticing how white Hinata was.

"O…ok," she stammered, snapping out of her daze.

He opened the window and climbed out easily, leaving bloody footprints on the windowsill. Hinata followed, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her steady.

"Oh, and I found this on Tsunade-sama's desk," Kiba said, pulling a small slip of paper out of his pocket and handing it to her, "I don't know what it means, but, for some reason, I felt like I should grab it."

On the paper, there were two separate lines of numbers. She recognized the first – fourteen, five, ten, nine – from the discussion she overheard between Tsunade and Iruka. They were the numbers that had been carved into Kankurou's chest. The new line contained the numbers nine, fourteen, and fifteen.

"Thank you," she said, putting the piece of paper in her pocket, her mind furiously working to find the significance of the numbers.

By the time she reached her cabin, she was no closer to solving the mystery behind them.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Izumo had just finished eating an early dinner with Kotetsu when a worried-looking Iruka approached their table.

"Izumo, Kotetsu," He greeted them, "Could I talk to you both in private?"

Izumo exchanged a puzzled look with his friend and nodded, "Sure, we just need to clear our trays. We'll meet you outside in about five minutes?"

Iruka nodded and left, heading toward the exit of the cafeteria.

"What do you think that's all about?" Izumo asked as he emptied his garbage into the trashcan and put his empty tray on the shelf beside it.

"Who cares?" Kotetsu asked, yawning and mirroring Izumo's movements, "I just hope he's quick about it. I'd love to turn in early tonight."

Izumo couldn't agree more. It seemed that since Kankurou had first gone missing, they had barely had time to sleep.

When they stepped outside, they found Iruka waiting for them, wringing his hands nervously.

"What can we help you with?" Izumo asked before Kotetsu could say anything, not trusting his friend to be very polite given the situation.

"Well, last night, I sent Hayate to get the back-up generator," Iruka began to explain, "Some of the lights went out last night, and I just wanted him to bring it back here just in case the primary generator stopped working."

"Are both of them busted?" Kotetsu asked, "Because if it is, I think you'd be better off asking Kakashi or Asuma to look over them. Neither Izumo or I are very good at fixing things."

"I don't know," Iruka blurted out, "Hayate never came back from the storage area."

"What?" Izumo asked.

"I sent him over there at around eight last night," Iruka continued, "And I waited up for him until eleven. When he didn't come back, I assumed that he had gone straight to his room. But when I didn't see him this morning, I began to get worried. I asked Asuma if he had seen him and he told me that Hayate never came back to their cabin last night. Nobody else has seen him since."

"Well we haven't seen him," Kotetsu said.

"I figured as much," Iruka sighed, "But I was wondering if I could ask you both a huge favor."

"What is it?" Izumo asked.

"Would you go over to the storage area and see if he's there?" When Kotetsu and Izumo merely gaped at him, he continued, "It's a possibility that he got locked in or something. I just need to make sure that he's ok."

Izumo exchanged a look with Kotetsu. For some reason, the brunette couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding about the task, something just didn't seem right.

To his surprise, Kotetsu said, "Ok, we'll go check it out."

He raised an eyebrow at his friend who replied with a shrug that basically said, _we might as well_.

Iruka relaxed visibly, "Thank you."

"No problem," Kotetsu said, "We'll head over there now."

Izumo had no choice but to follow as Kotetsu began to walk in the direction of the storage area.

"What the _hell_?" He hissed once they were out of earshot.

"What? You'd really be ok with just walking away without at least _trying_ to help?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Are you scared?"

Izumo almost stopped walking in shock. Kotetsu's question wasn't harsh or mocking. In fact, he thought he heard a small edge of concern in his voice, but he wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not.

"I'm…worried," he confessed cautiously.

"It's ok, you know," Kotetsu said, "I mean, some weird shit has been happening lately. Frankly, I'm terrified. Two murders only a few days apart, and no one has a clue as to who did it. It's creepy. Not to mention the fact that we have no power besides what the generator can provide and no phone service."

"You know that Iruka was lying about the cleanup crew making progress right?"

"Yeah," Kotetsu frowned, "I'm fucking pissed about that. Something weird is going on, and it's like he thinks that giving us all false hope is gonna make things better."

"He's probably still trying to avoid causing panic," Izumo guessed.

Kotetsu snorted, "Kinda late for that isn't it? I'm actually surprised at how calm the campers are."

"Do you think Hayate's ok?"

"Hayate? He probably just got distracted or something, you know how he is."

Despite Kotetsu's semi-reassuring words, Izumo's unease grew as the storage area came into view. It consisted of two long, parallel buildings and was enclosed by a fence that towered about sixteen feet above the ground. The two buildings were used for storing extra equipment, emergency supplies, and even excess food if there was any.

The sun began to set behind it, casting dark shadows in front of the buildings and making the enclosure look even more ominous.

"Might as well get this over with before it gets dark," Kotetsu grumbled, making his way toward the entrance. Izumo followed, glancing about nervously.

"Well, would you look at that," Izumo heard him say.

"What is it?"

"The gate's unlocked," Kotetsu said, pushing it open to emphasize his point.

"That means that Hayate never left," Izumo said.

"Or that he left in a hurry…" He sent the brunette a creepy look.

"Kotetsu!" Izumo snapped, punching his friend in the shoulder.

He laughed, "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Izumo rolled his eyes and cupped his hands, calling, "Hayate! Hayate, are you here?!"

"Look," Kotetsu said, nudging Izumo and pointing to the door of one of the buildings. It was cracked open.

They approached it slowly, still calling Hayate's name. Izumo opened the door and was met with darkness. They ventured inside and Izumo began to fumble around for the light switch. Finding it proved to be pointless; the lights didn't turn on.

"Light's aren't working," He informed Kotetsu.

"Great," Kotetsu muttered, turning on his flashlight.

They walked down the hallway in silence. The only sound was the noise that their shoes made against the hard floor.

Toward the end of the hall, Kotetsu suddenly stopped, covering his mouth and nose.

"Do you smell that?" He asked, his voice muffled.

Izumo took in a deep breath through his nose and almost gagged as a result.

"Ugh, that's just awful," Kotetsu complained, "What is it?"

"I don't know," Izumo coughed, feeling as if he was drowning in the sour stench that hung in the air like a thick blanket, "But I think it's coming from one of the storage rooms at the end."

The smell got worse as they neared the end of the long hallway.

"In there," Kotetsu said, gesturing toward the last storage room on the right. Its gate was only half pulled open. Izumo watched nervously as Kotetsu grasped the handle and pushed the rest of the gate up. Holding his nose, he then took his flashlight and scanned the room with it. Izumo's breath caught in his throat as the white beam of light came to rest on a large, metal can that was sitting in the dead center of the room. Kotetsu's hand was shaking so badly that it was a wonder that he didn't drop his flashlight.

Oozing out from the lid of the can was a thick, dark liquid. It coated the entire left side of the can and was forming a pool on the floor around it.

"Is that…_blood?_" Izumo asked, dreading the answer.

Kotetsu took a deep breath and stepped closer to the can, his hand resting on the handle of the lid. Izumo joined him, pressing close to his friend's side. Kotetsu closed his eyes and quickly lifted the lid. It hit the ground with a loud clang as he immediately dropped it in shock.

Izumo stumbled over to a corner of the room, retching violently. The metal can was filled with blood and contained what seemed to be the mutilated remains of a human corpse. White maggots formed a thick layer on the very top, squirming and inching their way around. It was the most horrifying thing that the brunette had ever seen.

Izumo didn't register that Kotetsu was dragging him back toward the exit of the building until they were halfway there. The hall was pitch black; Kotetsu had dropped his flashlight in his rush and Izumo couldn't remember what had happened to his.

He thought he heard something, but he couldn't be sure over Kotetsu's furious cursing.

"Shut up!" He gasped, "_Listen!_"

Kotetsu fell silent. Through their footsteps and heavy breathing, Izumo could just make out a slithering sound coming from behind them. Fearfully, he looked back over his shoulder. After doing so, he wished with every fiber of his being that he hadn't.

Barely visible in the darkness was a strange-looking figure that was jerkily dragging itself toward them. As they neared the door and the darkness began to dissipate slightly, Izumo was able make out more details about their pursuer.

It looked like it was human, or, rather, like it used to be human. It's neck was hanging loosely to the side, blood dripping to the floor from it's empty eye sockets and gaping mouth. It was dragging itself forward using only it's arms; it's legs trailed behind it uselessly.

"_Fuck!_" Kotetsu shouted as they burst through the door and stumbled outside.

"Close the door!" Izumo cried, throwing his weight against it. Kotetsu copied him and they managed to close the door just in time. The creature crashed into it, emitting furious croaking noises.

Izumo began to shake uncontrollably as he felt _whatever-the-fuck-it-was_ begin banging against the door. Kotetsu hissed as he continued to press his weight against it.

Finally, after what felt like years but could have been no longer than a few seconds, the banging stopped.

Deciding to take the chance, Kotetsu and Izumo sprinted for the open gate. Once they were through, they took off into the forest, not even bothering to lock the gate behind them.

When they arrived back at the camp, there was nobody in sight. Gasping for breath, Izumo felt his knees give out. Kotetsu caught him before he hit the ground and wrapped one arm around his chest and the other around his waist to keep him upright.

"Are you…ok?" He asked, breathing heavily as well, his breath tickling Izumo's ear.

Izumo snorted, "Ok? We just found Hayate's body shoved in a can and then were chased out of the storage area and into the dark forest by whatever the _fuck_ that was."

"Good point…"

It took a few minutes before Izumo felt steady enough to stand on his own. However, when he tried to pull away, Kotetsu tightened his grip on him, resting his forehead on his shoulder.

"Kotetsu…"

"Just…let me hold you…for a minute," Kotetsu pleaded.

Izumo could feel his friend's rapid heartbeat against his back and knew that though Kotetsu was trying to keep a calm face, he was internally freaking out. Izumo sighed and grasped Kotetsu's top hand.

"Ok."

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

After a _very_ long shower, Hinata made her way over to the cafeteria where, she was sure, the rest of her friends were. What she wasn't expecting was to find the entire group standing outside of the building, apparently arguing about something. Sasuke especially seemed angry about something. His voice carried over the rest of the group and he was making impatient gestures with his hands.

"What's going on?" Hinata asked, walking up and standing beside Ino.

"Hinata, there you are!" Her blonde friend gasped.

"Have you seen Naruto?" Sakura asked before anybody else could say anything.

Hinata's eyes widened, "Um…no, I haven't seen him since this morning. Why?"

"He's missing," Chouji blurted out.

* * *

**A/N:**

Yes, Sachiko's last name (Saeki) is a play on the last name of Kayako (a.k.a. the girl from The Grudge). I thought it was kinda fitting because when I read back on the descriptions I've written of Sachiko, she reminds me of Kayako a bit (probably because those movies scare the hell out of me :D)

Well, hope you liked the chapter! Please, please, please review! :D

Oh, and free cookies to the person who correctly guesses the significance of the numbers that Kiba found in Tsunade's office!


	8. Darkness Descends

**A/N:**

Ugh, I wanted to get this chapter out last weekend, but...yeah, that didn't happen. I swear, it was like all of my teachers suddenly decided: "Hey, let's give Kristin a ton of homework so she can't do anything over the weekend!" Bastards... :P

Well, nobody guessed the significance of the numbers, so...I guess I'll just have to keep the cookies all to myself (*evil laugh*) Aw, just kidding (*gives everyone a cookie anyway*) :D

Anywho, I hope you like it! I sure as hell had fun writing it (I'm beginning to realize that I have a _really_ twisted mind ;D).

A HUGE thank you to JapanAnimeRox, lovepeacebre, Sharklover101, GoddessSumizofVenus, Death-Angel-of-Anime, Byzantea, and Kelly for reviewing!! Thank you sooooo much!! :D

This chapter is for Jaime, I hope you feel better soon love! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto T-T If I did, Naruto and Sasuke would be all over each other, Kiba and Hinata would be dating with plans for marriage in the future, Sasori would still be alive, and Kakashi would be walking around naked x3

**

* * *

****Running Scared**

Chapter 8: Darkness Descends

Hinata didn't know Sasuke incredibly well. However, during the years that she had gone to school with him, she had always judged him as a slightly cold person, which, she could understand after his family's accident.

His older brother, Itachi, had been driving his family home from a party. Distracted by the conversation he had been having with his father, who was sitting in the passenger seat, Itachi ran a red light. Their car was hit on both sides and Sasuke's parents died on impact. Itachi and Sasuke miraculously survived and Itachi disappeared soon afterward. Even to this day, Sasuke blamed his older brother for his parents' deaths.

Since then, Hinata had always thought that he cared little for others.

She was wrong. Dead wrong.

It had been at least fifteen minutes since Hinata first found out that Naruto had gone missing and Sasuke seemed to be on the verge of a meltdown. He was furiously trying to convince the rest of the group to help him search the forest for the blonde. Hinata could tell that the anger was only a mask for the worry and fear that she was sure Sasuke was experiencing. She herself was incredibly worried, but as she recalled just how close Sasuke and Naruto were, she knew that the situation was much worse for the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, but going after Naruto is out of the question!" Shikamaru finally snapped.

"But – " Sasuke tried to protest.

"Look, he probably just got lost or something, you know how he is. Plus, it's getting dark; looking for him now would be a waste of time."

Sakura, who had sided with Sasuke, much to no one's surprise, argued, "But if he did get lost, then he'll have to spend the night in the forest! It's not safe!"

"It's not safe for us either," Shino pointed out, "Going after him would only endanger more people."

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Sakura exclaimed, cutting off Sasuke as he opened his mouth to argue.

"Should we tell a counselor?" Chouji asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm sure one of them could help us!" Lee said, his eyes flashing.

Hinata, still on the edge of the group, tensed as she heard the bushes behind her rustle. As if in slow-motion, she turned and rested her gaze on them.

"Kiba-kun," She whispered hoarsely, tugging at his sleeve.

The brunette turned with her, following her gaze to the bushes, his own eyes widening. The group fell silent as they all turned to see what Kiba and Hinata were staring at. An infuriated hiss came from the undergrowth, accompanied by more movement.

Hinata felt her breath catch in her throat. Her imagination began to run wild, coming up with endless, horrifying ideas as to what was behind the bushes.

'_This is it._' She though, shaking, '_It's going to be that _thing_ that was following us. Or even Sachiko herself. Whatever it is, it's going to kill me first. No. It's going to make me watch as it kills all of my friends. And then it will kill me. It will chop us up into little pieces. And then, maybe, it'll devour us. Yes. And, when the camp session ends, our families will come. And it will kill them too. And then – _'

Her mind suddenly went blank as the bushes parted. She expected to see a grotesque creature, or a girl in a bloodstained dress.

What she didn't expect, however, was to see Uzumaki Naruto himself stumble out of the undergrowth, picking twigs out of his golden-blonde hair and cursing under his breath. He caught sight of the group and stopped, his blue eyes widening.

"N…Naruto?" Sakura was the first one to recover.

"Um…yeah, what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, tipping his head to one side.

"We could ask you the same thing," Temari said, her hands on her hips.

Naruto shrugged sheepishly, "Got lost on my way back to the cabins."

The group parted as Sasuke pushed his way to the front. He continued walking until his face was only inches away from Naruto's.

"Um…" Naruto stalled, as if trying to find the right words.

Sasuke cut him off by wrapping his arms around the blonde and pulling him close, their lips crashing together.

Hinata waited for the heartbreak, for the pain. But she felt nothing. She turned to Sakura, who was watching the scene with wide eyes. Lee wrapped and arm around her, and her expression quickly went from one of shock to one of contentment. Ino was grinning and extending a hand to Shikamaru into which the boy grudgingly dropped a handful of yen.

Sasuke and Naruto finally broke apart, gasping for air.

"Don't you…_ever_…scare me like that again," Sasuke whispered.

"I'm sorry," Naruto murmured, resting his forehead against the Uchiha's.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"I feel ridiculous."

"Hey, I'm uncomfortable with it too, but you don't hear me complaining. Besides, this was the best idea we could come up with. If we can't pull this off, we're screwed. Akatsuki is the only company we haven't called."

"And this doesn't seem wrong to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously? This is probably toward the top of a list somewhere of things you should never do."

Takashi couldn't fight back the small smile that Kyoko's exasperated comment caused.

"Just relax," He soothed her, "You'll be fine. Actually, it's probably a good thing that you're nervous. You _are_ playing the role of a distraught mother."

Kyoko rolled her eyes and knocked on the door in front of them, muttering, "We are _so_ going to hell for this…"

Takashi draped an arm across her shoulder, pulling her close as they heard a voice from the room telling them to enter. They obeyed, Takashi letting go of Kyoko long enough to close the door before reassuming his position by her side.

The man sitting behind the large desk of the office was surprisingly young; probably no older than twenty-five. He had vibrant orange hair and interesting silver and blue eyes that seemed slightly dull with boredom.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Sasaki," He greeted them, standing up to shake both of their hands, "Perfect timing. Please sit." He gestured toward the two chairs that were set up in front of his desk. Once they were all seated, he resumed speaking, "My name is Pein. From our phone conversation, I assumed that you were very distraught about something. What can we do for you?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and leaned forward, her hands clasped firmly on her lap, "Our daughter, Naomi, is up at Camp Ayakashi."

"The camp that was hit by the tornado a few days ago?" Pein asked, seeming intrigued.

"Yes."

"So how does this concern us?"

Kyoko and Takashi exchanged a worried glance.

"The cleanup crew that was supposed to clear the road to the camp hasn't sent in a report since they left," Takashi explained, "Not to mention the fact that all communication with the camp was shut down by the storm. We're getting worried."

"How do you know this?"

"We have a close friend who works for the company that supplied the crew," Takashi answered easily.

"And you haven't gone to the police?"

"They tried to, but the police won't start a missing-persons search for another few days. Apparently it's some sort of policy."

Pein frowned slightly as he realized where they were going with the conversation. He sighed, "I'm really sorry. But my team isn't trained for those kinds of missions. I would like nothing more than to help, but I'm afraid that it's beyond our abilities. I could recommend – "

"Forget the cleanup crew!" Kyoko wailed, cutting Pein off, "I just want to make sure that my daughter is ok! Please, please help us!"

Takashi pulled Kyoko into his chest and she buried her face in his shoulder. He rubbed her back soothingly.

Pein watched the affectionate sight and felt a soft tug at his heartstrings. He sighed and relented, "Well, we may be able to send a chopper to the camp to make sure that everything is ok up there. If need be, we can start airlifting campers out."

"Really? You would do that for us?" Takashi asked.

"We'll do what we can." Pein promised.

Kyoko pulled away from Takashi's embrace, wiping her eyes, "Do you…do you think that we could go with you?"

Pein opened his mouth to refuse, but when he caught sight of the pleading look on the young woman's face, he caved, "Alright, if we have room."

Kyoko smiled slightly, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You'll have to give us a few days to prepare," Pein told them.

"How long?" Takashi asked.

"Give us two days. Meet us here at six o'clock sharp on that morning."

"Ok," Takashi agreed, standing up and shaking Pein's hand again, "Thank you. I don't know how we'll ever repay you."

Pein shrugged, "It's my job."

He then showed the couple out, and turned back to his desk. He had a lot of preparing to do.

Once outside of the Akatsuki's headquarters and in the warm afternoon sun, Kyoko's face broke into a grin.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" She exclaimed.

"With your acting? There was no way we were going to fail," Takashi said, "I was beginning to believe it myself!"

She laughed and hugged Takashi tightly. He felt his face flush at the contact, but quickly forced it down.

"Hey, how'd the old, married couple do?" A voice from behind Takashi startled him.

Daisuke was leaning against Takashi's silver car (they had all agreed to stop using the truck), a teasing smile on his face though his eyes betrayed his nervousness.

"They're taking us to the camp in two days," Kyoko said, "And are ready to transport campers back to town if they have to."

"Great job!" Daisuke said, visibly more relaxed.

"Let's just hope we'll be there in time…" Takashi muttered under his breath, feeling a dark sense of foreboding come over him.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata woke to the sound of Sakura's worried voice. She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes. Her dreams had been filled with fire and the dying screams of her friends. Goosebumps still covered her skin, though the cabin was decently warm.

"What's going on?" She asked, stifling a yawn and turning in the direction of Sakura's voice.

"Oh, Hinata, you're awake," TenTen said. The brunette was kneeling beside Sakura, who was leaning over Ino's prone body.

Instantly worried, Hinata walked over, "Is Ino-chan ok?"

"I'm fine," Ino said, her voice slightly strained, "Just feeling a bit sick. Need some more sleep…"

Sakura felt her forehead and frowned, puzzled, "Well, you don't have a fever. Do you think it was something you ate?"

Ino waved Sakura's hand away, "I'm fine, really. All of the…excitement is just getting to me, that's all."

TenTen snorted, "Excitement…" She muttered under her breath, her eyes dull.

"Do you want me to go get Tsunade-sama?" Hinata offered.

Ino rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated groan, "Really guys, I. Am. Fine. I'm sure that a few hours of sleep will do the trick. We woke up late again, why don't you go get something to eat."

Hinata opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by the loud rumbling of her stomach. Turning pink, she averted her eyes and remained silent.

Ino laughed slightly, "Get out of here. I don't want you guys to miss out on anything on my account. Just bring me back something in a few hours ok? Hopefully my stomach will have calmed down by then."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Positive," Ino smiled.

"Alright," Sakura said, straightening up, "We'll be back to check on you in awhile."

Ino nodded, closing her eyes and turning over onto her side, her back facing her friends. Apparently, the conversation was over. TenTen, Sakura, and Hinata left quietly.

"I wonder what's wrong with her…" Sakura said once the cabin was out of sight.

"I don't know," TenTen said, "But she's probably right about getting more sleep. She was tossing and turning all night."

"Really? I didn't notice…"

"I couldn't sleep either," TenTen explained, her face sobering.

Hinata frowned, knowing that TenTen was still grieving for Neji. From the dark circles around her eyes, Hinata guessed that TenTen had slept very little since his death. She wished that she knew a way to comfort her friend and to help her move on, but she knew that only time could do so.

When they reached the cafeteria, they found their friends crowded around one table, playing a game of Bullshit.

"Who's winning?" Hinata asked, standing behind Kiba.

"Gaara," He said, pulling two cards from his hand and placing them face down on the table, saying, "Two fives."

"Gaara-kun?" Hinata asked, watching Naruto put down what he claimed to be a six.

"Yeah, I swear, that kid has a freaking _perfect_ poker face! I can't call him on anything! Oh, and bullshit, Naruto," Kiba said, shuffling through his remaining cards.

Naruto groaned and picked up the pile of cards, muttering under his breath.

"Two sevens," Gaara said, putting down the cards, his face as expressionless as a rock.

"One eight," Temari said.

"Bull_shit_!" Naruto exclaimed.

Temari smirked and turned her card over, revealing it to be an eight, "Take them!"

Naruto grudgingly took the small pile, adding it to his gigantic collection.

Shino, who was sitting beside Temari placed three cards on the table, "Three nines."

"Two tens," Sasuke claimed, seeming bored with the game.

Hinata smiled as she watched her friends. Naruto kept calling 'bullshit', only to be sorely mistaken. Kiba's dark eyes were unusually serious as he tried to read the faces of the other players. Shikamaru, Gaara, and Sasuke took everything in stride, their expressions never wavering. Temari seemed unfocused, and was even caught lying though she possessed the card that she needed. She kept shifting closer to Shino, her face tinged with pink. Shino seemed a bit more flustered than usual, but managed to keep his cool, collected air. Chouji was watching from the sidelines, happily munching on a bag of potato chips. Lee was cheering Naruto on, never getting discouraged though Naruto was losing rather badly.

Things, for that split second of time, seemed to have returned to normal. Nobody was worrying about the deaths of their friends, or about the lack of communication that they had with the outside world. They were just a group of ordinary friends, finding joy in a simple card game.

However, Hinata was snapped out of thoughts by the sound of her cell phone ringing. Surprised, she pulled it out and stared at it.

"Is that your cell phone ringing?" Sakura asked, her eyes widening.

The rest of the group turned to look at her. Hinata just continued to stare at it dumbly.

"Aren't you gonna answer it?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed, feeling embarrassed, and flipped her phone open just as it stopped ringing.

"Who was it?" TenTen asked.

"Ino-chan," Hinata said, her mind spinning.

"That's so weird," Temari said, "I thought that nobody was getting service."

"Ino may have woken up," TenTen suggested, "Maybe she's hungry."

Hinata nodded, "I'll take some food to her."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Sakura asked.

"No, don't worry about it. Maybe I can convince Ino-chan to come back with me."

Sakura and TenTen nodded in agreement. Hinata quickly grabbed a banana and some applesauce, knowing that Ino would be able to eat them without much trouble.

On her way back to her cabin, she pondered over her cell phone. Since the storm, nobody had been able to get signal. She only carried her phone around because of the clock on it. She knew that she should probably use this chance to call someone for help, but she was more focused on making sure that her friend was ok.

"Ino-chan?" Hinata called softly as she entered the cabin, "I brought you a banana and some applesauce. How are you feeling?"

She closed the door behind her a silently as possible and turned to face Ino's surprisingly empty bed.

"Ino-chan?" Hinata asked, setting down the food and making her way to the bathroom. She knocked and asked, "Ino-chan? Are you in there?"

Receiving no response, she slowly pushed the door open.

The bathroom was empty.

'_That's strange,_' she thought, '_Where could she have gone?_'

She paused as she remembered that Ino had called her, which meant that her phone was probably working too.

Hinata quickly dialed her number, trying to remain calm.

'_She probably just went for a walk to get some fresh air,_' She thought, fidgeting impatiently.

The chorus of 'Misery Business' suddenly sounded from the closet beside the bathroom. It was Ino's phone. Confused, Hinata approached it.

"Ino-chan?" She asked, pulling the door open.

Something heavy knocked her over onto her back. Hinata squeaked in surprise as she found herself trapped beneath the object. Blonde hair swam into her vision.

"Ino-chan," Hinata laughed. She should have known that Ino would play a prank on her!

However, she was confused when Ino didn't reply.

"I…Ino-chan?" Hinata asked, hesitantly this time.

Fear was beginning to engulf her and it turned into panic when she felt something wet and sticky run down her arm.

Screaming, she scrambled backwards, freeing herself from Ino. Her eyes widened with horror at the sight of her friend's body lying face-down on the floor, a puddle of blood beginning to form around it.

Hinata pushed herself to her feet and sprinted out of the cabin, nearly tripping as she threw herself out of the door. She regained her footing and took off in the direction of the cafeteria, tears streaming down her face.

She closed her eyes, not caring to look where she was going.

'_This isn't happening! This can't be happening!_' She thought, choking back a sob.

Suddenly, she hit something solid and fell backwards onto her butt. Opening her eyes, a shriek tore from her lips.

Shino's mangled body was hanging from a branch that stretched over the path. A pool of crimson was forming beneath his feet. Hinata stumbled over to the edge of the path and vomited, her body shaking violently.

She crawled back onto the path, closed her eyes, and put her face in her hands, wailing like an injured animal.

'_This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening!_' She thought, her nails digging into her scalp.

The soft sound of something slithering in the forest beside her jerked Hinata back to reality. She rushed to her feet, making her way to the cafeteria, blinded by her tears.

She threw open the door of the building and stumbled inside, gasping as if she had run a marathon.

"Hinata?! What happened?!" Kiba asked, standing up and running to her.

Hinata realized that her shirt must have been stained with Ino's blood. She sobbed and choked out, "I…Ino-chan and Sh…Shino-kun….Ino-chan and Shino-kun are dead!"

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata had never paid much mind to the walls of the nursery. They were white, as most hospital walls were, and mainly blank, beside the few diagrams of the eye and the ear and the lungs. There was a clock about ten feet off of the floor. It was ticking audibly. Every second that passed was accompanied by a _tick, tick, tick…_

They were nice walls, Hinata decided. There was nothing threatening or intimidating about them.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

Tsunade suddenly blocked her vision. She was talking, but Hinata couldn't understand her. She adjusted her gaze so that she could still see the wall past her shoulder.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

There was a spider crawling by the clock, its black body in contrast with the white color of the walls.

_Tick…tick…tick…_

"Hinata…" Kiba's voice broke through the haze.

Hinata blinked as the brunette's worried face swam into focus.

"Hinata?" He frowned.

"Kiba-kun," She breathed, her throat feelings scratching.

He smiled slightly, "There you are. You've been staring at that wall for the past twenty minutes. Are you ok?"

"Are _you_?"

His smile disappeared, "Yeah…you're right…dumb question."

Carefully, as if afraid that she would break if he was too rough, Kiba pulled her into a hug. Hinata closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, taking in his familiar scent. Kiba always smelt like a dog, but in a good way. It was a musky, familiar, and comforting smell. It helped to snap Hinata out of her daze.

"I feel so helpless," She whispered, "I've seen four people die…and I've done nothing to prevent it."

"There's nothing you could have done," Kiba said, tightening his grip.

"I'm sorry to disturb you two," Tsunade said, appearing behind Kiba, "But while I was examining Shino's body, I found this in his pocket."

She held out a folded piece of paper with 'Hinata' written on it.

"Thank you," Hinata said, taking the paper and staring at it. She opened it and immediately felt her breath catch in her throat.

"What is it?" Kiba asked.

Hinata held up the note that read: 'Eleven, nine, two, one.'

"Wait…those are like the numbers that were on that piece of paper I took from Tsunade-sama's office," Kiba breathed, taking the note from her and reading it over again.

Hinata nodded.

"Do you still have the paper?" Kiba asked.

Wordlessly, Hinata pulled the stained and crumpled note from her pocket. Kiba checked to make sure that Tsunade was out of the room before taking it and holding it up with Shino's note.

"This is so strange…" He murmured.

"I've been thinking about them," Hinata said, "But I can't come up with anything that they could stand for."

"They must mean _something_…" Kiba said, setting the two notes down.

"Shino must have known," Hinata realized, "But we never told him about it."

"Actually," Kiba said, scratching the back of his neck, "I kind of told him. I…I figured that he could help, you know? Because he is…was really good at that stuff."

Hinata nodded, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill at the use of the past tense in describing her friend, "I wonder why he never told us…"

"Probably never got the chance," Kiba assumed.

They sat in silence for an immeasurable amount of time, reading and re-reading the notes.

"What do these numbers mean?!" Hinata finally broke the silence, on the verge of screaming in frustration.

"Obviously something important," Kiba said, his eyes tired and strained, "I mean, for Shino to go out of his way to crack the code, then leave us a message, it must mean something."

"He could have just written us a regular note! Or he could have told us!"

"Think about it," Kiba reasoned, "If he had just spelt it out for us, it wouldn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?"

"You said that there were numbers found carved into the body of each victim. I think that Sachiko is trying to tell us something. Shino obviously cracked it, and I bet he's depending on us to do the same. If we can decode his message, we can decode every other sequence of numbers that you've found."

"Oh…you're right!" Hinata stared at her friend in awe.

Feigning hurt, Kiba said, "Hey! Stop looking at me like that! I _do_ have a brain, thank you very much!"

Hinata allowed herself a small smile at the brunette's childish pout.

"On a more serious note though," Kiba's face sobered once again, "Let me see that note again."

Hinata passed it to him.

"Eleven, nine, two, one," he read aloud, a puzzled expression on his face, "What on Earth could that mean? The numbers don't have a particular order…they can't stand for a specific date…"

"Write down the alphabet," Hinata said suddenly.

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it, I have an idea."

Kiba flipped the note over and jotted down the alphabet. He then handed it back to Hinata. She stared down at it for a minute before numbering the letters. Taking a new sheet of paper from the desk in the corner of the room, she rewrote the code. She then scanned the alphabet for the letter corresponding to each number.

She froze and dropped her pen.

"What is it?" Kiba asked.

"Each of these numbers stand for a certain letter of the alphabet! Eleven is K, nine is I, two is B, and one is A. So, Shino's note means Kiba!"

Kiba took the paper, "You're right! But…that's not really helpful…"

Hinata took the piece of paper that Kiba had stolen from Tsunade's office. She quickly scanned the codes written there and decoded them, feeling her blood turn to ice.

"Kiba-kun…what was the order in which people died?"

"Well, Kankurou was first, then Neji, Ino, and Shino. Why?"

"Look at this," she turned the notebook so he could see, "When we found Kankurou-kun, he had fourteen, five, ten, nine carved into his chest. Those numbers spell 'Neji'. And Tsunade-sama must have found the numbers nine, fourteen, fifteen, somewhere on Neji's body, which spells 'Ino'!"

"But we never found out what numbers were on Ino's body," Kiba pointed out.

Hinata's eyes widened, "My shirt…"

"What?"

"When I found Ino-chan, her body fell on top of me. If she had numbers written somewhere, the blood from the cuts would have stained my shirt!"

She quickly took off her shirt, revealing a white tank-top underneath. She ignored Kiba's blush and laid her shirt out on the table.

"There," Kiba said, pointing to the strange bloodstains near the collar of the shirt.

"The numbers must have been carved into her forehead," Hinata whispered, remembering how the blonde's head had rested on her shoulder.

"It looks like nineteen, eight, nine, and fifteen," Kiba said.

"Nineteen, eight, nine, fifteen," Hinata repeated in a whisper, "Shino…"

"Oh God," Kiba breathed, "The numbers spell the name of the next victim."

"Th…then…that means…"

"I'm next." Kiba finished gravely.

* * *

**A/N:**

Ok, yes, the part where Hinata was thinking about the walls in the nursery is really wierd, but it's also very important, and you'll see why toward the end of the story. Just keep it in mind ^^

See that lovely green button? You know you wanna click it and leave me a review :) Go ahead. You know you want to.


	9. A Warning

**A/N:**

Gosh, I am so sorry that this chapter took forever! T-T

Some idiots at school thought it would be funny to push me down the stairs. Well, I ended up hitting my head really hard and blacking out. Apparently they called an ambulance because I woke up in the hospital a couple of hours later. The doctor said I was really lucky that it wasn't anything serious and that I should take it easy for awhile. Despite that, however, everything's been pretty...fuzzy (there's really no good adjective to use) lately and, unfortunately, the light from my computer has been giving me horrible headaches. So...yeah, that kinda delayed this chapter :( It's getting better though, so I should hopefully be able to spend more time on my computer, which means faster updates.

Again, I am sooooo sorrry! I promise, the next chapter won't take nearly as long as this one did! (Unless the morons come back with chainsaws and ice picks...then we might have a problem :P)

A HUGE thank you to JapanAnimeRox, GoddessSumizofVenus, Sharklover101, lovepeacebre, earthdancer7, ShadowOfAShinobi, Byzantea, DaEarthAngel13, Kelly, MIRI, Strawberriesaresexy, and bb for your awesome reviews! Hope you like the chapter! :D

Disclaimer: Hey, guess what! I own Naruto! Yup, that's exactly why I'm here writing _fan_fiction when I should be working on the actual manga. Uh-huh, that's totally what's going on. ;D

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 9: A Warning

Hinata sighed and sat down heavily, letting the momentum of the movement carry her onto her back. She has just finished helping TenTen and Sakura move their mattresses, blankets, and pillows into the cafeteria. In light of recent events, Iruka had decided to move all of the campers into the building because it was too dangerous to let them sleep alone in the cabins at night. Thankfully, the provided mattresses were small and generally light, so the move was fairly easy. However, that didn't stop Hinata from feeling both physically and emotionally drained afterward.

"The cleanup crew really isn't coming, is it?" Sakura asked, sitting down beside Hinata, her voice flat and emotionless.

"Nobody is," TenTen agreed with the same deadened tone.

Hinata sat up again and faced her two friends, who were both staring blankly at the floor.

"No! We can't think like that!" She protested, "Help is coming, we just need to wait a bit longer."

Though her tone was firm, Hinata fought to keep the doubt out of her voice. She didn't know how much longer she could keep acting like nothing was wrong.

"Ok everyone," Iruka's voice carried throughout the room, "It's getting late; I suggest you all get some sleep."

Sakura and TenTen, without another word, stood up and made their way to their own mattresses. Hinata sighed, her gaze dropping to her feet. Had the circumstances been normal, the room would have filled with laughter at Iruka's words. Go to bed? As if! They would have stayed up all night, talking and laughing as if it were nothing more than a huge slumber party.

But things were different now. Not a single word was spoken as every camper returned to and curled up on their own mattress.

Hinata fully expected to spend the night awake. How could she sleep after everything that had happened? However, to her surprise, she felt herself begin to drift off as soon as her head hit her pillow. Realizing just how drained she was, she relented and allowed sleep to take her.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

When Hinata awoke, it was still dark outside. Confused, she sat up and looked around, trying to locate the reason for her waking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the front door to the cafeteria shut silently. Curious, she scrambled to her feet and carefully slipped out of the building.

The night was chillier than usual, a faint breeze rustling through the surrounding forest. Hinata shivered and rubbed her arms, scanning the dark clearing for any sign of movement. Almost immediately, her gaze rested on a figure heading toward the cabins. Straining her eyes, she could just barely make out the lean figure of her friend.

"Kiba-kun!" She called, running after him.

The brunette turned around, surprise clear in his dark eyes.

"Hinata?" He asked, "What're you doing out here?"

"Where are you going?" She asked, ignoring his question.

"I forgot something in my cabin," Kiba confessed, smiling sheepishly. He then noticed that Hinata was shivering. "It's cold out here," He commented, "You should probably head back inside."

She shrugged, "It's not too bad. Do you want some company?"

He flashed her a grin, "I'd love some, if you really don't mind."

Hinata smiled, "Of course I wouldn't."

It surprised her just how comfortable she was around Kiba. There they were, alone, in a dark, cold night at a haunted summer camp, and she had never felt safer.

That is, of course, until Kiba's eyes widened with horror and Hinata felt herself be pushed roughly to the side. She landed in a sitting position, her eyes squeezed shut at the slight pain the fall had caused. She stiffened as she realized that the clearing had fallen into a deathly silence.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the dark stains on her hands. As if in a trance, she smeared the substance across her palms, feeling her stomach twist as the realization dawned upon her.

It was blood.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, raising her head, "There's – "

She trailed off as her throat clenched, causing her to choke on the words she had been about to speak.

Kiba was standing to her left, a few feet in front of her. In front of him, stood Sachiko.

Hinata saw the knife embedded in her friend's chest and heard the lazy dripping sound of blood as it hit the dusty earth. Her eyes moved from the bloody knife, up Sachiko's pale arm, to the dead girl's twisted face.

And still it didn't register.

"How brave," Sachiko murmured, her tone mocking. In one fluid motion, she pulled the butcher knife out of Kiba's chest. "I'll be back for you," She promised, turning to Hinata.

Hinata didn't even see her disappear.

"Kiba-kun!" She screamed, lunging forward and catching the brunette as his legs crumpled beneath him. Ignoring the sticky feeling of his blood coating her arms, Hinata fell to her knees, cradling Kiba against her chest.

"Kiba-kun? Kiba-kun! Please, open your eyes!" She wailed desperately, shaking him slightly.

His brown eyes fluttered open. "H…Hinata?" He choked out, blood dribbling down his chin.

"Shhh," Hinata soothed, running a hand through his surprisingly silky hair, "Don't talk, save your strength. I'm going to bring you to Tsunade-sama, she'll fix you up. Ok?"

Kiba didn't answer. His eyes began to close again.

"No! Kiba-kun! You have to stay awake!" Hinata exclaimed.

"'M sorry," He slurred, "Tired…"

His eyes, open again, were glazed over with pain.

"Just hold on," Hinata whispered, putting pressure on the gaping wound in his chest, feeling tears running down her cheeks, "Just hold on. For me. Ok?"

Kiba's breathing became ragged as he struggled to breathe. Hinata pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. She knew that moving him would be a bad idea, and would only aggravate the wound.

"SOMEBODY! SOMEBODY PLEASE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, "HELP US!"

Her voice echoed throughout the deserted camp. Her heart sank. Nobody was coming.

"H…Hinata," Kiba's voice was barely a whisper.

Hinata choked back a sob, "Y..Yes, Kiba-kun?"

"I…I…" Kiba stammered, trying to form words.

His lips continued to move, but no sound came out. Before he could try again, Kiba convulsed into a violent coughing fit. Hinata rubbed his back, trying to sooth him. Once he finished, he reached one hand up to cup Hinata's cheek, as if to comfort her. Their eyes met, and Hinata was surprised by the intensity in his.

Then, suddenly, his chest stopped moving. His hand fell away from Hinata's face and hit the floor limply. His eyes closed for the last time.

"K…Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, feeling Kiba's body fall limp in her arms.

She pulled away from him and watched as his head fell back lifelessly.

"No," She whimpered, "No! Kiba-kun!"

She screamed with agony and grief, burying her face in his shoulder, sobs wracking her body.

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be true!

Kiba was dead.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata woke with a start, fresh tears running down her cheeks. She was trembling violently, chills running up and down her spine, and her breath was coming in gasps. Closing her eyes, Hinata focused on controlling her erratic breathing. Once her heart rate had settled, she reopened her eyes and quickly scanned the room. Thankfully, she hadn't woken anybody. She breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to curl up on her mattress again.

That is, until she noticed the empty mattress about ten feet away from hers.

Until she noticed that it was _Kiba's_ mattress that was vacant.

Hinata felt her blood run cold as she stared at the place where Kiba should have been sleeping. In the silence of the dark room, she thought she heard a soft creaking noise. Whipping around, her gaze rested on the door to the cafeteria just as it closed.

Without stopping to think, Hinata scrambled up and raced toward the door, throwing herself through it and into the unnaturally cold night. Her pace didn't waver as she dashed after Kiba's retreating form.

"Kiba-kun!" She called, stumbling and feeling the rough ground scratch at her bare feet, "Kiba-kun!"

Kiba gave no indication that he had heard her. He kept walking at a slow pace, dragging his feet, as he made his way toward the edge of the forest.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata reached out and grabbed one of his arms. With a surprising amount of strength, and seemingly little effort, Kiba pulled it out of her grasp and continued to walk.

Feeling fear and confusion settle in her stomach, Hinata pushed in front of the brunette, placing her hands on his chest and leaning into him.

She chocked back a gasp of surprise when Kiba didn't slow his pace. She could feel herself being pushed slowly backwards toward the forest.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata looked up at his face. Her heart skipped a beat. Kiba's eyes were glazed over, his face an expressionless mask. He didn't even seem to notice her presence.

"Ki…Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked uncertainly, pushing harder against him.

He didn't respond.

Hinata felt her fear intensify as she glanced back over her shoulder and realized just how close to the edge of the forest they were. A few more feet, and they would be under the dark canopy of the surrounding trees.

"Please! Kiba-kun!" Hinata exclaimed, pushing harder, but to no avail.

She didn't know why exactly, but she felt that once they were in the forest, the game was over. The darkness of the forest may as well have been death itself.

They were only feet away.

Inches…

Centimeters….

"Kiba-kun!" She screamed, feeling her heels brush against the lush grass, "Wake up!"

Her legs almost collapsed from under her as the realization hit her. She was going to lose him. If they entered the forest, they would die. There was no doubt in her mind about that.

Exactly when Kiba had become the most important person in her life, Hinata didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't live without him. She wouldn't let herself lose him. She _couldn't_.

Whether it was out of fear, desperation, or even…love, Hinata couldn't be sure, she found herself firmly pressing her lips against the brunette's in a bruising kiss.

Kiba stopped walking.

Suddenly, she felt him respond, kissing her back with equal ferocity. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He hugged her close to his body, deepening the kiss. When they finally broke apart, they were both panting breathlessly.

Kiba was looking at Hinata with such intensity that she couldn't help but blush. Then, it was as if Kiba suddenly realized just how bizarre the situation was.

"Um…where…why are we…how…?" He stammered, looking around.

"You were…you were walking toward the forest," Hinata explained, still flustered, "I tried to stop you, but it was like you were in a trance. Nothing I said or did was having any effect."

"So you resorted to this," He grinned.

Hinata blushed and looked down, "Um…well…it…worked, didn't it?"

He chuckled and gently lifted her chin. His dark eyes were filled with amusement, joy, and love. Hinata had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing. She had been so close to losing him.

"Why are you crying?" He murmured, brushing away a tear that Hinata hadn't noticed with his thumb.

"I…I was so scared that…that I was going to l…lose you," Hinata whimpered.

Kiba smiled slightly, "You won't. I promise."

He then leaned in and kissed her again, a soft, sweet kiss this time. He then rested his forehead against hers.

"Gosh," He breathed, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

Hinata closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness. If she was honest with herself, she would say the same thing. Thinking back to her conversation with Kiba during the first day of searching for Kankurou, when he had basically admitted to loving someone who did not love him back, she realized that the unidentified emotion she had felt then was jealousy. She had been unconsciously jealous of the girl who Kiba loved. Now, she realized, that girl was her. And she had been too blind to see it.

"I love you," Kiba whispered, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Hinata felt a smile appear on her face as she buried her face in his neck.

"I love you too," She murmured.

They stood like that, mere centimeters from the unspeakable horrors of the forest, lost in each other's arms.

And Hinata couldn't have been happier.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Shikamaru was alone when he woke up. The cafeteria was completely empty. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, groggy after a long restless night. Light was filtering through the window facing him, allowing him to assume that it was around noon. He had overslept.

With a grumbled curse, he rolled off of his mattress and began fumbling around for a change of clothes. Barely paying attention to what he was doing, he pulled on a pair of faded jeans and an old t-shirt. Feeling too lazy to look around for his missing sneakers, Shikamaru yawned, stretched, and then made his way outside.

A string of low, muttered curses escaped his mouth as he stepped into the chilly air. He secretly begrudged himself for not thinking to pack even a light jacket. But, then again, it _was_ summer and cold weather wasn't rare – it was unheard of. Continuing to grumble under his breath, he folded his arms across his chest and lowered his head against the frigid breeze. As he made his way across the clearing, Shikamaru noticed, for the first time, the group that was huddled together in the center. They were sitting in a circle, speaking in hushed tones. Suddenly feeling antisocial, Shikamaru turned away from the other campers and began walking. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he knew that he didn't feel like being around the others. He didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. He was so intent on putting one foot in front of the other that he didn't even notice the moisture building up in his.

He stopped when the grass and dirt gave way to sand. With a long sigh, he sat down and, through blurry eyes, looked out at Lake Dekishi. It was then that he let the tears flow. Ino had been everything: his classmate; his best friend; and, more recently, his future girlfriend. He had been planning to ask the blonde out upon arriving home and, if the rumors were true, her answer wouldn't have been anything but yes. It would have been the start of a beautiful relationship.

A small sob escaped his lips as he rested his head against his bent knees. Ino was gone. And nothing could bring her back to him.

The snapping of a twig brought Shikamaru back to his senses. His head shot up and he snapped his neck to the side, his heart beating wildly in his chest. His eyes widened as Temari stumbled out of the trees. She paused, staring at him with wide eyes before relaxing.

"Sorry," She said, "I'm guessing you want to be alone. I'll go."

"No…wait," Shikamaru said, before she could turn around again, "It's fine, really."

He shifted over and motioned for her to sit next to him. She tipped her head to the side, confusion apparent in her eyes, but relented and sat down.

"I didn't feel like hanging out with them," She explained at his questioning gaze, "It felt like everyone was looking at me like I was a fragile piece of glass; as if I would break if they said the wrong thing."

Shikamaru nodded. He understood completely. Temari's tired gaze reminded him that she too had lost someone very close to her.

"I'm sorry," He murmured sincerely.

She sighed, "After Kankurou died, Shino was there for me. We had never really talked too much, but we knew each other by name and face. And…him being there made me feel like everything was going to be ok. I felt so safe and even happy when I was with him. I still can't believe he's gone…"

Temari swallowed audibly, tears forming in her eyes.

She shook her head then said, "But I'm sure you must be feeling even worse. I mean, you knew Ino for years. I'm so sorry. I really can't say how sorry I am."

Shikamaru bit his lip to keep from crying, "I don't know about that. The way I see it, you lose someone you love, no matter how long you've known them, it still hurts. It hurts _a lot_."

She nodded, a shaky sigh escaping her lips, "I guess all we can do is move on, huh?"

"I guess so."

"They would have wanted us to," Temari said, her voice growing more confident.

Shikamaru nodded, "I know that I would have wanted her to."

They sat like that for a long time, not talking, but just enjoying each other's company and the small patch of peacefulness in their quilt of fear and despair. It was a new beginning. The beginning of a friendship and perhaps, as time passed, the start of something much more.

Only time would tell.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata had slipped wordlessly away from the group, feeling the need to be alone for a few minutes. She stayed away from the edge of the forest as she made her way behind the cafeteria. There, she leaned back against the building and closed her eyes, trying to force herself to relax. Try as she might, she couldn't stop thinking about the dream she had had and how close she had come to losing Kiba. It scared her.

She was counting her breaths when she heard it. Singing. Coming from the trees. Surprised, she opened her eyes and looked around, expecting to find Sakura or TenTen nearby. But she saw no one. Confused, she strained her ears to catch the sound. It was too soft for her to hear the lyrics, but it seemed to be coming from the forest right in front of her.

Hinata's curiosity got the better of her and she soon found herself stepping carefully through the undergrowth of the woods.

The voice continued to grow louder and louder.

"_Twinkle, twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are_."

Hinata pushed back the branches blocking her view. Her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the small, crouched figure before her.

"_Up above the world so high,_

_Like a diamond in the sky"_

It was a little girl, probably no older than seven (though Hinata couldn't be too sure as the girl's back was facing her). The breath caught in her throat as she listened to the girl sing.

"_When the blazing sun is gone,_

_When he nothing shines upon._

_Then you show your little light,_

_Twinkle, twinkle all the night"_

'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' had been one of Hinata's favorite nursery rhymes when she was a child. However, hearing it sung in this low, emotionless tone sent chills up and down her spine. She stood transfixed, unable to interrupt, unable to look away. And the girl continued:

"_Then the traveler in the dark_

_Thanks you for your little spark._

_He could not see which way to go_

_If you did not twinkle so…"_

Hinata's heart was pounding so hard that she was sure that the girl could hear it. But the girl gave no sign of even being aware of Hinata's presence.

"_When the blazing sun is gone,_

_When he nothing shines upon._

_Though I know not what you are_

_Twinkle twinkle little star…"_

And, just like that, the song ended. Hinata took a step back, determined to put as far a distance between her and the little girl as possible. However, a loud crack echoed throughout the forest as her foot connected with a pile of dried twigs.

The girl stood up slowly, keeping her back to Hinata. She then quickly turned, her slimy black hair falling across her face. Through the tangled dark mass, Hinata could see dark grey skin and eyeless sockets.

"H…hello?" She asked, her voice wavering.

The girl snickered, "I knew you would come to me, Hyuuga Hinata."

"You know my name?"

"Oh, but of course. Everyone does. You're the one we can't touch. She's saving you all for herself."

"Who?"

The girl snorted, "Don't waste my time with pointless questions. Let's try this again, ask carefully now."

Hinata blinked in confusion and remained silent, her mind working furiously to think of a question that the girl would consider answering.

"Why are you here?" Hinata finally asked, surprised by how calm she sounded.

"I have a message for you," the child said, grinning impishly, exposing rows of unnaturally sharp teeth.

"A message?"

"A warning," The girl corrected.

Hinata blinked. When the girl didn't continue, she asked, "Well? What is it?"

The girl cackled, her head rolling back at an impossible angle, "You really wanna know?"

Hinata frowned, her curiosity and impatience beginning to overshadow her fear, "Yes!"

The girl's head snapped back into its natural position, the grin never leaving her face, "Ah, so impatient."

Hinata sent her the best glare she could because, for God's sake, this girl was just a _child!_

"The day is coming," The girl said simply.

"What day?"

"_The_ day," a giggle accompanied this, "The day she's been waiting for."

"She? You mean Sachiko?"

"Don't interrupt me!" The girl's eyeless sockets narrowed dangerously.

Hinata swallowed hard and remained silent.

Pleased that she had the older girl's attention, the girl continued, "Yes, the day Sachiko-senpai is waiting for."  
Hinata opened her mouth to ask exactly what day and why, but thought better of it. Thankfully, the girl seemed to notice the question in her eyes.

"Tomorrow is the fiftieth anniversary of Senpai's death," The child explained, "Finally, you have come, the one she has been waiting all of these years for. The time has come for his debt to be paid in blood."

"But what does that mean?!" Hinata blurted out.

The girl smirked, "Figure it out. I have to go before she finds out that I went anywhere near you."

"Wait! Please, can't you tell me anything else?" Hinata pleaded.

"If I were you, I would leave the camp as soon as possible," Was all the girl said before she disappeared right before Hinata's eyes.

Frustrated and confused, Hinata turned and began making her way back to the clearing. She found her friends were standing in a circle. They were obviously discussing something, but their voices were lost in the wind.

"Hinata! There you are!" Kiba broke away from the group and ran up to her, pulling her into a tight embrace, "I was so worried!"

Hinata, despite her mood, managed to giggle, "I was only gone for a few minutes."

"Yeah…well…so was Shino before…you know," Kiba muttered, his eyes troubled.

Hinata's smile faded, "I'm sorry I worried you. I won't do it again."

He sighed then pulled her close again, as if afraid to let go.

"While I was out there," She said, pulling away after a few minutes, "A young girl came to me. She gave me a warning."

"A warning?"

"I don't know what it means, but she told me that we have to leave the camp as soon as possible."

He chuckled, "A two-year-old could have told us that much. What was the warning?"

"She said that tomorrow was the fiftieth anniversary of Sachiko's death," Hinata said, "And that I was the one she was waiting for. That his debt had to be paid in blood."

"_His_ debt? Who's?"

Hinata shook her head, "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. If it was _his_ debt, why does she need me?"

Kiba blinked, a bemused look on his face. Hinata began to shiver in the cold wind.

"Come on," He said, noticing, "Let's go inside and stay warm. We can try to figure it out then."

She nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her back toward the cafeteria. Despite the comfort his presence offered, Hinata still couldn't shake the horrible sense of foreboding that was beginning to settle in her stomach. In fact, it only increased as time went by. Try as she might, she couldn't stop picturing a time bomb in her mind. It seemed like every second that passed brought them all closer and closer to oblivion.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"Hey Takashi?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah?" Takashi looked up from the book he was reading.

"I was looking through the articles again, just to make sure we're not making this into something it's not," She explained, "And, I may be wrong, but I think I found something else."

"What is it?" He asked, getting up from the couch and walking over.

"Look," She pushed a few of the articles into his hands, "Forget the year of the deaths, look at the months and days."

"July thirteenth," Takashi said in wonder, "They were all killed on July thirteenth."

"You know what day that is?" Kyoko asked.

"Um...a Sunday right?"

"In most cases, yes, depending on the year. When I went back to the library to make sure we didn't miss anything, I found an old calendar. This may sound crazy, but if it's accurate, then back in 1959, the thirteenth of July fell on a Friday"

"So…oh gosh," Takashi's eyes widened, "Friday the thirteenth."

"Exactly."

"What's the date today?"

Kyoko pulled out her phone to check. She quickly dropped it, her eyes wide.

Feeling his stomach twist into knots, Takashi prompted, "Well?"  
"It's the twelfth," She whispered.

"Shit!" Takashi hissed.

"It…it'll be fine," Kyoko said, her voice shaking, "We're heading up there with the Akatsuki tomorrow morning. We'll get there before something bad happens."

Takashi didn't know whether she was trying to convince him or herself. Judging by the lost look in her eyes, he guessed that she didn't know either.

"Should we tell Daisuke?" She asked, glancing at the young man who had passed out a few hours earlier. He was curled up in a chair, his hair sticking up in odd places and a peaceful look on his face.

"No," Takashi decided, "Let him sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

Kyoko nodded. Takashi yawned then resumed his position on the couch. He scooted back against the cushions and motioned for Kyoko to join him. Without the slightest hesitation, Kyoko slipped in next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, smiling slightly as she tucked her face into his neck. She sighed softly as he began to stroke her hair. Eventually, her breaths slowed and evened out.

Takashi pulled back slightly and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well," He murmured, closing his own eyes and letting sleep take him as well.

* * *

**A/N:**

So, did I totally ruin 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' for you or what? Seriously, if you haven't heard the DeadSpace version of that song, go to YouTube and give it a listen. It's creepy as hell O.O

And of course I would never kill Kiba! *huggles Kiba plushie* Or would I? *evil laugh* Who knows? (besides me :D) Guess you guys will just have to wait and see! :P


	10. Apocalypse

**A/N:**

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm not dead. I am so, so sorry about taking so damn long to post this chapter. Life has just been hell recently. My mom's car was broken into and the asshole made off with my backpack. And guess what was in it? Yup, my laptop and my notebook. So, not only did I lose the story completely, I also lost all of the notes I had for it.

Plus, to make things even worse, much worse, one of my best friends was in a car accident. Some asshole drunk driver plowed right into her car. She was in a coma for about two months and just woke up early last week. So, really, the last thing I felt like working on was a story that contained so much death and destruction. I hope you all will understand...

Anyway, I really want to thank Jaime (text me hun! My phone was in my backpack T-T), lovepeacebre, Sharklover101, Death-Angel-of-Anime, kibahina-narusaku4ever, elviella, NejiLuvver117, ShadowOfAShinobi, and xSugaryTearsx for your reviews! Thank you so much guys! Your kind words really helped in pulling me out of my slump and getting me to write again!

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 10: Apocalypse

He watched her closely from the corner of the cafeteria. Amidst the loud music that pounded in his ears, and the flashing lights that hurt his eyes, he saw her clearly. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled in the multicolored light, her black hair catching the different hues. His heart ached as he watched. When she danced, her body seemed to move in one fluid motion, her limbs working together, extensions of a flawless machine. She was beautiful.

An aching hunger clenched his heart as he looked on. Despite his many advances, she had shown no sign of caving. Earlier that night, he had confessed his feelings. She had laughed it off. He wanted _her_, the one girl whom he could never have.

Yet he had to have her. His need had become too powerful for him to satisfy by any other means. It was her, and only her. Saeki Sachiko.

His jaw set in determination, he crossed the dance floor with long, confident strides. He placed a hand on her back and whispered in her ear, "I need to talk to you."

Sachiko turned, her expressive eyes filled with confusion.

"Please," it disgusted him to have to beg, but by the look that crossed her face, he knew that the pleading sound in his voice had its desired effect.

"Ok," She nodded, letting him lead her away from the lights and music.

Neither of them spoke as he led her across the moonlit camp and through the trees to Lake Dekishi. The full moon hovered in the dark sky above them, its reflection casting a silvery light over the lake. The forest was silent save for the cheerful chirping of several crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. The scene was painfully romantic and it twisted his heart in ways that he could never have expected. His resolve slipped and very nearly crumbled. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her. To make her love him. He was so lost in his internal struggle that he didn't realize Sachiko was talking until she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"…and I'm sorry," She was saying, "But, as I said before, a relationship would never work. I like you, I really do, just not that way."

Her tone was gentle though her words were firm. He could see in her bright eyes that she was serious and that nothing he said would change her mind.

"But," She continued before he could say anything, "I would love to be friends, if that's alright with you."

He saw his chance; and he took it.

"Ok," He replied, faking a smile.

He pulled her into a hug while simultaneously drawing the butcher knife he had stolen from the kitchen earlier that night and plunging it into her stomach. Sachiko gasped and went ridged in his grip.

"_Friends?_" He hissed in her ear, pulling back and grabbing her throat, throwing her to the ground then pinning her down with his heavier weight, "If I can't have you, nobody can!" Blood gushed from her wound, soaking through his shirt as he pressed against her. It was a painful wound, yet not fatal. He was going to take his time with her.

Sachiko recovered swifter than he had anticipated.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE! HELP –"

He moved his hand from her throat to her mouth and quickly quieted her.

"Shut the fuck up," He growled, digging through his pocket with his free hand. When he pulled out a needle and thread, she began to thrash strongly against his grip, despite her injury. He dug one knee firmly into her stomach and snapped, "Sit _still!_"

When she refused to do so, he picked up the knife again and drove it into her left thigh. Her scream was muffled by his hand. He could feel her breath coming in pained gasps, warm against his hand. He removed it experimentally. She didn't take her chance to scream. Her eyes were glazed over with pain and she was obviously in some state of shock. Knowing that this would be his only chance to silence her completely, he took it.

She didn't even move as he began to sew her mouth shut. However, about half-way through, she seemed to regain her senses and began to struggle against him, her screams muffled from the already-present stitching. He quickly stabbed her in the shoulder. Her body tensed beneath him as she wailed in pain. Dazed, she remained relatively still as he completed the job.

With a small feeling of satisfaction, he sat back to admire his work. Tears were streaming from those beautiful eyes and Saeki Sachiko had never looked more vulnerable. He leaned back down so his face hovered just above hers.

"See what you made me do?" He asked, a twisted grin forming on his face, "If you had just stayed quiet…"

With a muffled, furious sound, Sachiko lunged upward at him. Her fingers found their way into his eyes as her knee connected with his groin. He snarled and grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head.

Horrible anger consumed him. He had never wanted to hurt someone as much as he wanted to hurt the girl lying prone beneath him. Red clouded his vision as he dug his nails into her wrists while using his free hand to pull up her dress.

"I _was_ just going to kill you," He growled, slipping a hand beneath her underwear and ripping them away, "But, you just had to go and make everything harder for yourself, didn't you?"

She whimpered and more tears escaped her eyes as she realized what he was about to do. Her scream as he entered her was successfully muffled by the stitches. But he could still hear it. Somehow, her stifled screams and wails made his blood boil and urged him harder, _faster._

It was over sooner than he would have liked. However, with his release came a moment of clarity. Shaking, he sat back and stared at the broken girl beneath him.

'_What have I done?_' Was the only thought that ran through his mind as he stared horrified by the sight before him.

Sachiko was breathing heavily, her sobs stifled by the stitches. Her entire face seemed to shine with her tears.

Then, the moment of clarity was gone, replaced by uncontrollable anger.

"Look at what you made me do!" He snarled, "This is all your fault!"

Gripping the butcher knife tightly in his hand, he plunged it into her body until her blue dress was completely red from her blood. Her once expressive eyes were clouded as she stared into nothingness.

Sachiko was dead.

Breathing hard, he leaned over and carefully gouged out her eyes. Even in death, they were still so beautiful. He slipped them into his pocket as he stood up. For a few minutes, he merely stared down at the body at his feet. Then, he moved as if in a daze. He threw the knife far out into the lake and carefully dragged the body into the water, walking out with it until the water reached his chest. She continued to float as he let go and waded back to shore. He looked back only to see that she had disappeared in the darkness.

With a satisfied smile, he turned and began to make his way back to his cabin to change into dry clothes. He had a party to go to, after all.

A scream tore from his throat as he regained consciousness. He sat up quickly, cold sweat breaking out across his brow, his heart hammering in his chest.

_'What have I done?'_ He asked himself, running a hand through his hair.

'_Why?_' Another voice echoed in his mind. He gasped as Sachiko's face swam into his vision. She looked just as beautiful as she had on that night.

"S…Sachiko…" He breathed, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

'_Why?_' The young woman asked again, her own beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears.

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. Guilt tore through him, taking his breath away. His chest _hurt_.

'_Look at what you've done,_' Sachiko whispered.

He shook his head, gasping as more tears leaked out of his watering eyes.

'_Look at what you've DONE!_' Sachiko screamed.

His eyes snapped open in his surprise and, at the sight that awaited him, he let out a cry of terror. Sachiko's beautiful face was marred with scars. Her mouth was stitched closed and her eyes were gouged out. She was just as he had left her, adrift in the lake.

"I…I'm…"

'_You're not sorry. Not yet._'

He shifted backwards until his back was pressed painfully against his headboard as she pulled out a butcher knife. A watery choking sound escaped his throat as he realized that it was the same knife he had used to kill her all those years ago. Fear rendered him motionless as he realized what was to come.

"Sachiko…please…don't…"

She brought the knife up and he closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the pain. Minutes crawled by quietly. Fearfully, he reopened his eyes. He was alone, once again, in his moonlit bedroom, tears cascading down his face and tremors running through his body.

'_What have I done?_' He thought, withholding the pitiful whimper of fear that was building in his throat, '_What have I _done?'

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Takashi, Kyoko, and Daisuke arrived at the Akatsuki headquarters at exactly six o'clock, as instructed. It was a miracle really, as Daisuke and Kyoko were definitely _not_ morning people and, in the previous years that they had worked together, the group had never managed to be on time for basically anything. However, they had never had a task such as the one which stretched out before them this time. This time, people's lives were at stake. This time, there was no room for failure.

They were greeted at the front door by a silver-haired man who didn't seem to be much of a morning person himself. He introduced himself as Hidan as he led them through the building to the back lot, where the rescue helicopter awaited. As they stepped outside, Hidan began muttering curses under his breath, complaining, mostly to himself it seemed, that the sun shouldn't have been up at that ungodly hour of the morning.

The launch pad was full of activity. Two men, one with long black hair and the other with blue, were loading several crates into the helicopter while shouting something Takashi couldn't make out at the small group huddled by the front of the chopper. Takashi recognized Pein's vibrant orange hair almost immediately. He was talking to a redhead and a blonde, making wild gestures with his hands that Takashi would have found highly entertaining had the circumstances been different. Pein must have felt Takashi's stare for he nodded to the men with whom he had been conversing and made his way over to the group.

"Right on time," He commented, "I like that."

"The more time we waste, the more danger our daughter can get into," Kyoko said, her expression bleak.

"Right, well, we're just about ready. Itachi and Kisame just finished loading the rest of the gear into the chopper, and I just sent Sasori and Deidara to check up on the controls. We should be good to go in about five minutes."

"Woah, you guys really know what you're doing huh?" Daisuke asked.

Kyoko whacked him on the back of the head, rolling her eyes at his stupidity. Takashi groaned in embarrassment and started to apologize when he caught the amused glint in the Akatsuki leader's eyes.

"It's a rare occasion when I get to meet someone who is so inquisitive," Pein explained, as if sensing Takashi's discomfort, "Is he your son?"

Takashi had to stop himself from openly gawking at the man. Sure, Daisuke was several years younger than him, but, dammit, he didn't look old enough to be his father!

"Ah, no," He said, "Nephew. But he stays with us most of the time."

Pein smiled but before he could say anything, the redhead and blonde returned.

"The controls are set," The redhead announced, "Ready whenever you are."

"Good," Pein inclined his head, "Sasori, Deidara, this is Takashi, Kyoko and…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," He said, gesturing toward Daisuke.

"Daisuke," He said, shaking hands with Sasori and Deidara, "Nice to meet you."

"Alright, Itachi, Kisame, get your asses out of the way, we're leaving!" The blonde, Deidara, shouted.

The two men Takashi had seen loading crates into the chopper jumped down from the cabin and backed up quickly.

Pein climbed into the pilot's seat and started up the helicopter. The blades above Takashi's head began to spin slowly. Sasori helped them climb into the cabin and get seated while Deidara took his place beside Pein.

"Alright, everybody ready?" Pein asked, putting on his headgear. He received nods from his passengers and smiled and he began easing the chopper into the air.

Takashi shifted in his seat. The cabin was fairly small and felt slightly cramped, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. All he could think about as he watched the town disappear out of his window was the horrible fate that awaited the innocent kids over at Camp Ayakashi should they arrive too late.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata was alone in the cafeteria when she woke up. The quiet murmur of voices which bled through the walls, however, kept her from becoming worried as to the whereabouts of her friends. Silently, she slipped on a pair of shoes and followed the voices outside.

Everybody was gathered in a group by the entrance of the camp. As Hinata drew closer, she recognized Iruka's voice over the whispers of her friends.

"Hey Hinata-chan," Sakura greeted her as she reached the group.

"What's going on?" She asked, peering over her friend's shoulder.

The group was facing Kotetsu and Izumo, who were in deep discussion with Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei is sending Kotetsu and Izumo for help," Kiba explained, smiling warmly at Hinata.

Dread clenched Hinata's heart, "_What?_ Does he even realize how dangerous that is?"

Kiba shrugged, but Hinata could see a faint glimmer of worry in his dark eyes, "I guess he does. But, if you think about it, he doesn't really have any other options. We can't just stay trapped up here. Not only will our food supply run out eventually, but, as I'm sure you know, there's a killer on the loose. The cleanup crew isn't coming. We know that just as well as he does. If Kotetsu and Izumo manage to make it to town, they can get help."

"You know…as well as I do…that this is a bad idea," Hinata argued, "Sachiko haunts this forest, every tree, every bush, every blade of grass. Their chances of making it out alive are nonexistent."

Kiba sighed, "I know," his eyes betrayed his sorrow, "But, what can we do about it? Do you really think Iruka's going to believe us?"

"No…" She whispered, "I just…wish there was some other way."

"I know," He murmured, pulling her against his side and draping one arm over her shoulders, "I don't agree with it, even though I see the sense in it."

Iruka turned away from the two counselors and addressed the campers, "Kotetsu and Izumo have kindly offered to hike back to town to see if they can get some help. If everything goes according to plan, they should reach town by tomorrow morning and you all will be safe at home by tomorrow evening."

Whether Iruka didn't notice the skeptical looks he was receiving or he was simply pretending to ignore them, Hinata didn't know.

Kotetsu and Izumo looked embarrassed under all of the attention. They actually seemed anxious to get going, shifting uneasily, their eyes darting across the crowd.

Iruka started up again, "Well, we wish you both the best of luck." He clapped a hand on one of each of their shoulders, a warm, albeit forced, smile gracing his features, "Hurry back."

Kotetsu snorted at this but Iruka didn't seem to notice. Izumo just inclined his head in a silent farewell before grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him towards the blocked entrance of the camp.

Hinata watched them go, a hard knot of uneasiness in her stomach. She couldn't help but feel that this journey would be their last and, judging by the glassy-eyed look that Izumo shot back over his shoulder, she wasn't the only one. All she could do was watch helplessly as their lithe figures disappeared into the trees, trying desperately to push back the rising sense of dread that she felt beginning to surface.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"Hinata! Come one, the boys are starting a flag football game!" Sakura called, crossing her arms as she waited with Kiba by the door. She, Hinata, and Kiba were the only campers left in the cafeteria. They had just finished lunch and Naruto, unable to continue being inactive, had decided to organize a flag football game in the main clearing between the buildings, where the counselors could easily keep an eye on them.

Hinata realized that she had been spacing out at the wall facing her and stood quickly, stumbling over her own feet as she rushed to join her friends.

"Are you ok?" Kiba asked, worry creasing his brow.

"Just daydreaming," She lied, forcing a smile and hoping that he didn't notice how pale she was.

He obviously didn't believe her, but shrugged and sent her a we-will-talk-about-this-later look before turning to follow Sakura outside.

Hinata was at the door when she heard it again.

"_Hinata…_"

She froze, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. The whisper had started during lunch, and she seemed to be the only person in the cafeteria who could hear it.

"_Hinata…_"

It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen.

"Hinata? Are you coming?" Kiba asked, poking his head back through the doorway.

"Ah, yeah, I just forgot my…cell phone," She stammered, hoping that he would buy the excuse, "I'll meet you outside."

"Are you sure you're ok?" His voice was heavy with concern.

"I'm fine," Her smile felt slightly less forced this time, "I'll be right back."

Kiba grudgingly left, a frown forming on his face.

Hinata sucked in a deep breath before turning away from the door and making her way to the kitchen slowly.

"Ayame-chan?" She called, stepping into the dark room.

The room was almost completely black, making it hard to see anything. By sheer chance, Hinata managed to find the drawer where Teuchi kept his lighter. The flame, though small, cast enough light for her to navigate the room.

A wave of déjà vu hit her as her gaze rested on the empty knife rack. Swallowing audibly, she called again, "Ayame-chan? Teuchi-san?"

A crash resounded throughout the room, coming from the hallway. Horror gripped her as her legs automatically carried her toward the completely black, gaping mouth of the hallway. About fifteen feet away, she could barely make out a figure in the darkness.

Hinata's heart pounded painfully in her chest. It was just like her dream. Cold sweat broke out across her brow as she tried to take a step back. But her body wouldn't budge and she was left staring in utter terror at the emerging figures.

"Who…who's there?" She whimpered, her voice cracking.

_The figures were advancing seemingly without so much as moving a finger_.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as her dream seemed to replay right before her eyes.

_…She could make out their faces…clouded eyes, bleeding mouths, noses, and eyes…pale-grey skin covered in various wounds…_

'_I have to get out of here!_' Her mind screamed.

A too-familiar shriek tore from her mouth as she whipped around and threw herself through the doors of the kitchen.

Her eyes watered as the harsh sunlight hit them, but she kept running, her heart beating so fast, she was sure it would burst from her chest.

Suddenly, her feet came across something solid and she was sent flying, sprawling in the dirt. Scrambling quickly to her feet, she looked down in horror at Sasuke.

Unlike the dream, Sasuke was still alive. Numerous gashes covered his torso and a long, deep cut marred his neck. He looked up at her with dark, pain-filled eyes and reached a hand out to her.

"H…e…lp…m…me…" He croaked, more blood cascading down his throat.

His hand fell limply as the light in his eyes dimmed. With a chocked sob, Hinata turned away, feeling a cold sense of dread at the sight she knew was awaiting her.

In her dream, when she arrived outside, her friends had already been dead. However, she seemed to have made it outside earlier this time. She couldn't tell what was worse: seeing her friends' corpses strewn carelessly across the clearing, or seeing the bloody, dismantled creatures who had once been human ruthlessly attacking the screaming campers.

'_No…_' Hinata thought, tears collecting in her eyes as she watched one of the creatures grab Sakura's head and wrench it violently to one side. A loud _crack_ someone reached Hinata's ears and she sobbed as Sakura slumped lifelessly against the wall of the building behind her.

She turned away, unable to bear the sight of her best friend's body. Then, her heart froze.

'_Kiba-kun!_' She thought frantically, scanning the clearing for the brunette. Relief sent more tears to her eyes as she found him, standing back to back with Lee, fighting off the reanimated corpses with a pocketknife.

She started to make her way toward him, determined to keep him save, no matter the cost. She had almost lost him once; there was no way that she was going to lose him again. A familiar, scarred face, however, stopped her in her tracks.

"Sachiko…" She breathed as her eyes met her nightmare's eyeless sockets.

Though Sachiko's mouth was stitched closed, Hinata had a sinking suspicion that the girl was grinning maniacally at her.

"Why?" Hinata whispered, hearing someone, who sounded awfully like Temari, scream in pain. "Why are you doing this?"

Sachiko stepped closer, idly twisting the butcher knife in her hand. She was so close now that Hinata could smell the horrible stench of decaying flesh and blood.

"You think I wanted this?" Sachiko asked, leaning in so that she was speaking directly into Hinata's ear, "You think I had a choice?"

"There's always a choice," Hinata argued, trying to ignore the way her body was trembling violently.

"If you think that's the case," Sachiko hissed, "Allow me to show you just how wrong you are."

Hinata didn't even have time to protest as Sachiko grabbed her head between her hands, squeezing tightly. An icy chill seemed to wrap itself around Hinata's body as her vision darkened.

Everything faded away as her world turned black.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, the chapter turned out shorter than I had planned, and I'm really sorry about that :( But, I hope it was worth the wait! I promise that it won't take me anywhere near as long to post the next chapter! I've already started it and, if things go according to plan, I should have it up within the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading! Please review! Your feedback means the world to me


	11. Misery

**A/N:**

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, real life has been such a hassle :(

Has anyone else been having trouble with replying to reviews? For some reason whenever I try to, my internet closes out O.o maybe it's just my computer....so, sorry I didn't reply! I will for the next chapter, as long as my computer lets me :)

Thank you so much to AyameSakura170, SilverWolfStar, Byzantea, DaEarthAngel13, ShadowOfAShinobi, kibahina-narusaku4ever, xSugaryTearsx, elviella, JapanAnimeRox, BoxingBunny, and CityLightsFallingLeaves for your awesome reviews!! Also, a speacial thank you to my friends Camila and Katrina from school, who have been bugging me about updating for the past couple of weeks xD Thanks for all of your support!

**Warning:** You may need tissues.

Don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom!

Disclaimer: I don't own it...and I'm sure you knew that by now

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 11: Misery

Hinata was floating in darkness. She couldn't tell up from down, left from right. There was no sound, no light.

Nothing.

Then, images began to flash before her eyes. They seemed to be memories, memories that were not her own.

"_I was your age when I was murdered…_' A voice broke through the nothingness. The picture that accompanied the words was one of a teenage girl floating face-up in a lake. Her long, beautiful black hair billowed out around her prone body. Her skin was pale and her lips blue. She was obviously dead, however not a single mark marred her features. Hinata knew in her heart that this was Sachiko, without the terrible injuries she had sustained during her murder.

'_I thought I was dead…gone…forever_' Sachiko's voice seemed to echo throughout the darkness, '_But when I awoke, I was still in the world of the living. I wasn't alive, but I had yet to pass on. There was still something I needed to do._'

Hinata watched as Sachiko's brilliant blue eyes opened. The next scene that flashed before her was one of Sachiko walking slowly up the bank of Lake Dekishi, dripping and staring into the trees with a haunted look in her eyes.

'_I knew then that I couldn't pass on until I had enacted my revenge._' Sachiko's body convulsed and, suddenly, the evasive wounds reappeared, spilling her blood onto the sand. A butcher knife appeared at her feet and she stooped slowly to pick it up, running a pale finger across the sharp blade, drawing even more blood to stain her mutilated body.

'_I needed to find him, my killer, and make him suffer. I had to kill him. I needed his blood. Only then could I pass on to the next life_.'

Each step the newly-revived Sachiko took seemed to transport her several feet at a time, her body jerking slightly as she regained the fluid motion of her stiff limbs. It was like watching a scratched DVD and Hinata felt herself shudder at the sight.

'_But my resurrection, my return…it was too late. When I reached the camp, everybody was already gone_.' Sachiko stood in the center clearing of the deserted camp, staring blankly at the road leading back to town. '_I couldn't leave. My spirit was bound to this camp._'

'_I waited for years for him to return. But he never came. I took to killing campers, one or two per year, on the anniversary of my death, in hopes that he would put the pieces together and realize that only his return could stop my rampage._'

Horrible images flew past Hinata's eyes. Children, teens, adults, brutally murdered in what could be seen as freak accidents by unaware bystanders.

'_I finally began to lose hope that he would ever return. Then, one day, I felt his presence, just outside of the camp. He did not venture in, but I was able to follow him through his subconscious back to his home. It was then that I found out he had a daughter._'

Hinata was presented a picture of herself sleeping peacefully, curled up facing her window as dawn broke. She felt a shiver run through her spine. It couldn't be…

'_I never thought he would be foolish enough to send you to Camp Ayakashi. Perhaps he believed nothing would happen, that all of those deaths had indeed been accidents. But, the second you set foot at this camp, I knew that I had what I needed._'

Hinata watched herself step out of the car, worry etched on her face as she collected her bags and met up with Sakura, Ino, and TenTen.

'_I knew that he would never return to this camp. But, I didn't need him anymore. His blood runs in your veins. You will be the one to set me free of this place._'

Hinata's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out.

The images began to blur and she quickly regained feeling in her body. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. When she reopened them, Sachiko was staring at her, seeming to see straight into her soul.

"If all you wanted was me," Hinata said, tears forming in her eyes, "Then why did you kill my friends?!"

Sachiko shrugged, "You spend enough time killing to pass the time, you find that it's actually quite fun."

Hinata gritted her teeth in anger, her hands curling into fists at her side, "What my father did to you was unforgivable. But what you have done is far worse."

Sachiko snickered, "You're acting as if your opinion actually mattered to me. None of this matters now. Soon, all of your friends will be dead. Soon, with your blood, I will be set free from this place."

Hinata took a step back as Sachiko raised her knife. Her heart began to pound painfully against her ribcage as Sachiko drew her arm back. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain.

"HINATA!" Someone screamed right before something bodily pushed her backwards. Hinata stumbled and just managed to keep her footing.

There was something warm and sticky on her face. She opened her eyes and slowly brought her hand to one cheek. Pulling it back, she saw that her fingers were coated in blood. Her stomach jolted sickeningly as she raised her eyes to the tall figure that was standing between her and Sachiko.

"K…Kiba-kun," She whispered, her eyes widening in horror.

'_No…_'

It was just like her dream.

_The bloody knife embedded in his chest…Sachiko's pale arm…the dead girl's twisted face…_

Sachiko looked momentarily surprised before she seemed to smirk, painfully ripping the knife out of Kiba's chest.

"Isn't that sweet?" She asked, watching the brunette double over, coughing up blood and holding his chest, "Look familiar Hinata?"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata screamed, ignoring Sachiko's comment and throwing herself toward him.

She caught him just as his legs crumbled beneath his body. Carefully wrapping her arms around his stomach, she lowered him to the ground and cradled him to her chest.

"Kiba-kun? Kiba-kun! Look at me! Please!" She begged, shaking him slightly.

His brown eyes fluttered open. "Hinata…?" He whispered, blood dripping out of the side of his mouth.

Her throat seized up. This was too much like her dream.

"J…just stay awake ok? Keep your eyes open. I'll get help. Tsunade-sama must be around here somewhere. She can fix you up. Ok?"

Kiba coughed weakly and didn't reply, his eyes beginning to close again.

"No! Look at me! You need to stay awake! Kiba-kun, please!" She cried, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

He groaned and forced his eyes open again. They were glazed over with pain.

"Tired…" He mumbled, his voice faint.

"I know," She said, running a hand through his hair, "I know. But you need to stay awake. Hold on. For me. Please."

He nodded slightly, his breathing becoming more ragged as he fought to breathe. He was so pale…

Hinata sobbed, burying her face in his chest, not caring that she was smearing blood…_his_ blood…on her cheeks, "Why did you do it? You should have let her kill me. Then this would all be over!"

"Couldn't…let you…die," He chocked out, his eyes becoming glassy with unshed tears, "Seeing you…dead…It would…kill me…"

She pulled him closer, crushing his body against hers. He was so cold. If she could only get him warm again…

"H…Hinata?"

"Yeah?" She sniffled.

"I…I love you…"

Another sob tore from her lips and more tears escaped her eyes, "I love you too. So much. Please, please don't leave me."

"'M sorry…" He slurred, more blood dribbling down his chin. A shaky hand reached up to cup her cheek. She covered his hand with one of hers, leaning in to his touch, trying to control her crying.

Then, his hand fell back and hit the ground limply. His body felt unnaturally still in her arms. Hinata's heart jumped into her throat when she realized that Kiba wasn't breathing.

"Kiba-kun?" She whimpered, "Please…don't…" Sobs wracked her body, "Don't do this to me! Kiba-kun! Wake up! Please!"

She shook him lightly. Receiving no response, she shook him again, harder.

Nothing.

"KIBA-KUN!" Hinata screamed. His body remained limp in her arms.

She cried out in agony and grief, burying her face in his chest. Her entire body shook with her sobs. It felt as if someone had tied something around her throat, preventing her from breathing normally.

Kiba was dead.

Kiba was dead, and it _hurt_.

Footsteps pulled Hinata out of her world of grief and pain. She looked up slowly to meet Sachiko's gaze.

"What a touching display," Sachiko jeered, advancing toward Hinata, a firm grip on her knife.

Something inside Hinata snapped. She wanted to _kill_ Sachiko. She wanted to dig her fingernails into her eyeless sockets and claw at her brain. She wanted to shove her hand through Sachiko's chest to grab her heart and to make her feel even _half_ of the pain Hinata was feeling.

She slowly released Kiba from her grip, laying him down on the ground gently before turning her focus back to Sachiko.

"Go to hell," She snarled, pulling out the lighter that she had unconsciously put in her pocket after escaping from the kitchen and lighting it. Sachiko's eyes widened as Hinata dropped the flame onto the dusty ground.

By sheer luck, the ground caught fire and the entire clearing was soon aflame.

"What are you _doing_?!" Sachiko screamed, cowering away from the heat.

Hinata didn't answer. She pulled Kiba's body close to her and hugged him tightly as the flames roared around her. She could feel the unbearable heat engulf her as she struggled to breathe through the smoke. Her lungs ached from lack of oxygen and she coughed painfully, but a small smile tugged at her lips.

Not much longer now.

Her vision began to blur.

Soon, she would be with Kiba again.

She kissed his forehead and closed her eyes, giving in to the darkness that was tugging at her.

Soon…they would be together again…

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"We're about five minutes away," Pein's voice crackled through Takashi's headgear, "Sasori will explain the procedure."

Sasori, the redhead sitting across of Takashi, shifted so that he was leaning forward and said, "When we get to the camp, we'll land in the main clearing between the buildings. We tried to radio the camp's staff to tell them that we're coming, but we couldn't get through. Hopefully they'll get everyone out of the way when they see us.

"Now, after we land, Deidara and I will get out to check with the counselors. If there's any kind of emergency, Pein will radio headquarters, where Itachi, Kisame, and Hidan are standing by, and we'll have them send for more help. If we need to airlift someone, we may have to leave you at the camp with Deidara until backup comes. You three ok with that?"

Takashi, Kyoko, and Daisuke nodded.

"Um…Sasori?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah?"

"You might have to scrap that plan…"

Sasori frowned and turned to lock eyes with the blonde, "Why?"

Wordlessly, Deidara pointed out of the window to his right. Takashi gasped as he followed the blonde's gaze.

A huge cloud of black smoke was billowing out of the trees, so high and extensive that it blocked out the sun completely, turning the sky grey. Takashi could just make out the angry flames licking at the treetops.

"That's where the camp is…" Pein commented grimly, his jaw set firmly, as if in deep thought.

"Shit!" Daisuke cursed, "What are we gonna do?"

"We could see if there's a place to land…" Sasori trailed off, his amber eyes gleaming worriedly.

Deidara shook his head, "The chopper isn't equipped for a fire rescue. Even if we landed, there would be nothing we could do."

"We need to do _something_," Kyoko insisted, "There are kids down there!"

Silence descended in the chopper. Kyoko shifted uncomfortably under Sasori's gaze.

"What?" She asked, a defensive undertone in her voice.

"It just seems odd," Sasori replied, scratching the back of his neck, "Pein told us about your daughter and how you were coming with us to check up on her. But, so far, you haven't even mentioned her."

"I was wondering about that too," Pein commented, "What was it you said your daughter's name was?"

Kyoko was blushing brilliantly as she opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to say and looking like a spooked goldfish. Had the situation been less serious, Takashi would have laughed.

Takashi sighed, "Alright, you caught us. Kyoko and I aren't married, and we don't have a daughter up at the camp."

"What's really going on then," Pein sounded slightly irritated and Takashi couldn't blame him.

He laughed drily, "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"Look, they lied," Deidara cut in, "It's not that big of a deal. We have bigger problems to worry about!"

"Deidara's right," Sasori agreed, "We'll interrogate them later, but right now, we need to figure out how to save the people that are still at the camp."

The chopper had already entered the dark column of smoke, hovering near what Takashi would guess was the source of the fire.

"New plan," Pein said, "We need to work fast. Sasori, is the basket operational?"

"Yeah, I can have it ready to lower in about three minutes," The redhead replied.

"Good. I'm going to bring us lower to see if there's any clear spot. If there is, I'll need you to lower Deidara down there. Deidara, once you get down there, grab anyone you can and bring them back up. In the meantime, I'll radio Itachi and tell him to send help."

"Pein, it's not safe!" Sasori protested, "We have no fire equipment, Deidara might as well be a marshmallow for the fire to toast! Plus, it'll be hard for me to operate the basket alone."

"What do you want me to do? There are kids down there! Kids! The longer we wait, the more danger those kids are going to be in!" Pein argued.

"Sasori, don't worry," Deidara said, "I'll be fine."

"And you won't have to man the basket alone," Daisuke added, "We'll help you."

"You will," Kyoko said, "Takashi and I are going with Deidara."

"Are you crazy?" Sasori asked, "There's no way I'm letting civilians go down there!"

Kyoko sent him the best death glare she could muster, which made Sasori flinch, much to Takashi's amusement.

"We're going," She said simply.

Sasori groaned and relented, muttering something about funerals and death wishes. He then turned his attention to the metal rectangular object that was collapsed on the floor of the chopper.

Pein lowered the helicopter into the smoke, eyes straining for the sight of the ground.

"Look, over to your right," Daisuke said, pointing toward the break in the flames.

Pein nodded and directed the chopper towards it. When he was hovering over the only visible patch of ground, he asked Sasori, "Is the basket ready?"

Sasori opened the side door of the chopper and carefully pushed the metal basket out, where it hung beside the chopper, suspended by a winch cable. The basket was big enough for about five people and had a suspension frame that included several tail fins which Takashi guessed were to stabilize the structure in the air.

"Alright!" Sasori shouted over the roar of the fire, "Whoever is going down, get in!"

Takashi and Kyoko followed Deidara as he stepped carefully into the basket, gripping the metal rails provided to keep their balance. Daisuke stood beside Sasori and nodded to his two friends and he helped the redhead slowly lower them to the ground.

Deidara handed them bandanas which they tied over their mouths and noses, the only way for them to attempt to refrain from breathing in the smoke around them. The basket hit the ground with a surprisingly soft thud and the three immediately hurtled over the side, scanning the area for people.

Takashi's eyes watered as the smoke enveloped him. He heard Kyoko cough harshly beside him as they ventured closer to the flames, trying to see anything helpful the complete chaos surrounding them. The roar of the fire pounded in his ears and his shirt quickly began sticking to his back as the heat hit him harshly. Even with the bandana covering his mouth, he was having a hard time breathing.

"Can you see anything?" He could barely make out Kyoko's voice, even though she was standing right beside him.'

"No!" He shouted, coughing painfully.

"Guys, let's get back to the chopper!" Deidara called, "There's nothing we can do down here!"

Takashi nodded and was turning to make his way back to the basket when Kyoko grabbed his arm.

"Look!" She said, pointing frantically through the smoke.

Takashi followed her gaze and, squinting, managed to make out the huddled form barely visibly.

"Deidara! Over here!" He screamed, waving wildly for the blonde.

The three ran half-blindly toward the shape. Kyoko threw herself to her knees beside the person.

Takashi felt tears burn at the backs of his eyes that had nothing to do with the smoke. It was a young girl. She was sitting with her head bowed, cradling the head of a young boy in her lap. She was still breathing, though her skin was sickeningly pale. The boy, however, was obviously dead. He was covered in blood coming from a stab wound in his chest. Kyoko and Deidara quickly tried to pull the girl away from the boy's body, but she had a death grip on him and refused, even in her unconscious state, to let go. With Takashi's help, however, they finally managed to pry her away from him. Takashi was surprised when tears ran down her cheeks, as if she was aware of her loss of contact with him. But the three had no time to dwell on it. The fire was still raging and the smoke was becoming even thicker. Deidara picked the girl up bridal-style and began making his way to the basket as quickly as he could. Takashi and Kyoko followed suit, keeping their eyes open for any other survivors.

They were in the basket being hoisted back up to the chopper in a matter of seconds.

As they reached the chopped, Takashi looked down once more on the burning camp and could have sworn he saw a girl standing below him, looking up with bloody eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul.

Takashi blinked, and she was gone.

* * *

**A/N:**

Ok, yes, I killed Kiba! *runs and hides* But, believe me when I say: **THIS STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING!** So just remember that before you show up at my house with torches and pitchforks m'kay?

Please review (even if it is to flame me xD) Next chapter is the final chapter!


	12. Ashes to Ashes

**A/N:**

Well everyone, this is the final chapter! I have to admit, I actually cried a little. I just can't believe it's been well over a year since I started writing this story (damn, I'm a slow updater, lol).

A HUGE thanks to CityLightsFallingLeaves, BoxingBunny, DaEarthAngel13, NejiLuvver117, Byzantea, SilverWolfStar, xSugaryTearsx, elviella, Jaimesaur (freaking FF is messing up my messaging, or maybe it's my computer, but I'll get in touch soon, I promise!!), Lina292634, kibahina-narusaku4ever, MIKEY BANDICOOT, TinkerBellaInuyashaWayland, and ShadowOfAShinobi for your awesome reviews!! And a shout-out to Camila and Katrina for their ever-present support!

Thank you all for sticking with this story through everything! I really hope you've enjoyed the ride, I know I have :)

Enjoy the final chappie! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a laptop and the medication that keeps me out of mental asylums 8D

* * *

**Running Scared**

Chapter 12: Ashes to Ashes

_Kiba-kun…._

Freshman year of high school is hard on everyone. For Hinata, however, it started out as a living nightmare.

She and Neji had only been living in Konohagakure for about two weeks before school started. While Neji knew Lee from summer camp, Hinata knew no one. To make matters even worse, nearly every student had attended the same middle school, and had, therefore, known each other for several years. Hinata found herself sitting in her homeroom, surrounded by laughing teenagers, and feeling more alone than she had ever felt. She had almost wanted to rip her hair out in frustration.

Needless to say, when she walked into her science class (late, as she was too nervous to ask for directions to the classroom), her anxiety only increased. She quickly and quietly slid into the nearest open seat, next to a brunette-haired boy.

He turned to her and grinned kindly, "Hi! I'm Kiba. I haven't seen you around, so I'm guessing you're new to the area?"

She nodded numbly, wide-eyed and unsure of what to do.

Kiba blinked sympathetically, "Wow, that's gotta be tough."

The dark-haired boy sitting next to Kiba gave a dry cough to catch the brunette's attention.

Kiba rolled his eyes, but chuckled good-naturedly, "Ah, I forgot! This," he gestured to the boy next to him, "Is Shino. Shino this is…um, I never got your name."

Hinata blushed, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid, "H…Hinata."

Kiba smiled, "Hinata. That's a pretty name."

"Th…thank you," Hinata stammered, hating herself for being so awkward.

However, if it bothered Kiba, he didn't show it. He opened his mouth to say something else when he was interrupted by their teacher.

"Hello class, my name is Ibiki, welcome to Chemistry. Take a good look at the two people you are sitting with. They will be your lab partners from now until the end of your senior year."

Kiba winked at Hinata and, for the first time since she had moved to Konoha, Hinata felt a true smile spread across her face.

_Kiba-kun…_

Kiba was the first person Hinata told about her crush on Naruto. It was only right, seeing as he was her best friend. He took it all in stride, teasing her when they were alone and keeping her secret around others. He even managed to help Hinata spend more time with the blonde, seeing as he and Naruto had been friends all through middle school.

He held her when she cried over Naruto's crush on Sakura. He left her alone when he saw that she was with him. He arranged meetings between the two of them, such as inviting them both to the movies than coming up with some absurd excuse as to why he couldn't go ("I swear! Akamaru's giving birth!" … "I know, I know, we thought she was a guy too but" … "yeah, she's freaking popping out puppies!"). If it hadn't been for the brunette's support, Hinata would have probably driven herself crazy.

"Be happy," He often told her, "Because that's how I want you to be."

_Kiba-kun…_

Surprisingly, it was Kiba who took Hinata to their senior prom. Naruto had refused to ask any other girl after Sakura had rejected him and while Hinata was heartbroken, she agreed with Kiba when he told her that she shouldn't let it ruin her night. So she went with her best friend instead, and actually had the time of her life.

Looking back on it, it was probably that night when she started forgetting about Naruto and started falling for Kiba. As a matter of fact, it was probably the last slow dance of the evening.

Kiba pulled her out onto the dance floor and held her close. She leaned in to his embrace, her cheek resting against his shoulder. And they swayed together to the music.

They danced, surrounded by their friends and, once again, Hinata felt alone in a crowded room. However, this was different. She wasn't alone. Kiba was there, and she couldn't have been happier.

_I'm sorry…_

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Takashi didn't like hospitals. Ok, that was an understatement. Takashi _hated_ hospitals.

As he sat with Kyoko and Daisuke in the waiting room of Kouzan's one and only hospital, he couldn't stop himself from running a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he had picked up in college. The room was too quiet. Takashi could hear the other residents of the old building clearly; the screams of pain, the cries of grief, the wailing of newborn babies. He closed his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the sounds that surrounded him.

Nothing good ever came out of hospitals, that was his experience at least. His father had died in a hospital, his friend, one of his classmates, too many people he had known had entered the large gray doors of this very building, only to never walk out again.

So yeah, Takashi fucking hated hospitals.

In all honesty, Takashi wasn't even sure why they were there. They didn't know the girl, and it probably wasn't any of their business what happened to her. But Kyoko had insisted that they wait, if only to make sure the girl was ok. And Takashi, unable to resist the puppy-eyes Kyoko had given him, had relented.

So, there they sat, in a too-white room, surrounded by sounds of grief and pain, waiting for news of a girl Takashi had never met before.

It was another hour later when a doctor finally appeared. He was a young, handsome man beneath the lines of worry and sorrow that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face.

"Are you waiting for news of Hyuuga Hinata?" He asked, approaching the group.

"Yes," Kyoko replied, rising from her chair.

"Are you relatives?"

"We pulled her from the fire," Takashi admitted, finding no use in lying.

The doctor nodded, seeming to find this acceptable, "My name is Dr. Ichidou and I will be the doctor in charge of Hinata throughout her stay here."

"So, she's going to be alright?" Kyoko asked tentatively.

"Hinata had no serious injuries when she was brought in. Granted, she was treated for excessive smoke inhalation, but we managed to get her on oxygen before too much damage could be done. My worry is not for her physical well-being, as she will have no trouble recovering physically."

"But, mentally?" Daisuke prompted.

Dr. Ichidou frowned, "Mentally, we have a long way to go. For the brief moments Hinata was awake, she was delirious, asking for people who were not there and acting terrified of something no one else could see. We were forced to sedate her, in fear that her continued distress could cause her to hyperventilate and put too much stress on her recovering lungs. I fear that she is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly known as PTSD."

"But doesn't PTSD take several months to develop?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"Actually, nearly everyone who lives through a traumatic event will suffer from mild symptoms of PTSD which appear almost immediately following the incident that caused it. However, most victims, as they heal, cease to suffer from these symptoms. Others will deal with them for years following the incident. I believe that to be the case here, as Hinata's symptoms are unusually strong."

"So what does this mean for Hinata? Is there any treatment?" Takashi asked.

The doctor's eyes darkened slightly, "Yes, there are several methods of treatment. However, no matter the method, Hinata's recovery will be a long and painful process. She will most likely suffer from chronic nightmares, flashbacks, and even delusions. She will also develop an irrational fear of anything that could remind her of the incident. I would suggest she talk to a therapist trained to work with PSTD victims."

"Can you recommend any?" Kyoko asked, surprising her friends and the doctor.

"Well, yes," Dr. Ichidou said carefully, "But I'll need to speak to a relative before I can make any calls."

"Oh, right, of course," Kyoko said, smiling though her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

The doors behind Takashi suddenly flew open and a man came rushing into the waiting room.

"Can I help you, sir?" Dr. Ichidou asked, not looking anywhere near as surprised as Takashi felt at the man's sudden appearance.

"Yes. My name is Hyuuga Hiashi. I'm looking for my daughter Hinata. I was told that she was brought here a few hours ago."

"Ah, yes. I am Dr. Ichidou and I will be looking after your daughter while she is here. Your daughter-"

"Look, I'm sorry, but could you fill me in later? I want to see her."

The doctor nodded, "Of course. I'll take you to her and explain her condition on the way."

He nodded to Takashi, Kyoko, and Daisuke before turning and leading the older man out of the waiting room.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hiashi felt a terrible sense of foreboding crash over him as he entered his daughter's hospital room.

"I'll be outside if you need anything," Dr. Ichidou said, leaving and closing the door quietly behind him.

Hiashi slowly approached the bed where his daughter lay. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of her prone body. She was sickly pale, almost the same shade of white as her hospital gown. Her dark hair looked black in the light, fanning out beneath her in wild tangles. Hiashi felt his stomach lurch when he realized just how much she looked like _her_. Then, pale violet eyes opened and the illusion was shattered.

"Hinata?" He asked, reaching out a hand to brush her sweaty bangs away from her forehead.

His daughter looked up at him with blank eyes, almost as if she was seeing right through him. It was like he wasn't even there. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened with recognition and she screamed, scrambling away frantically to escape his gentle touch.

"Hinata? What is it? What's wrong?" Hiashi asked, his heart beating painfully in his chest.

"You…" Hinata croaked, tears leaking out of her eyes, "You…you MURDERER!!"

"Hinata…" He whispered, his own eyes tearing up, "I'm sorry..I am so, so sorry."

She screamed again as he tried to reach out to her, "GET AWAY FROM ME!!! MURDERER!! GET AWAY!!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hiashi gasped, feeling his heart twist at the look of pure hatred on his daughter's face. Hatred directed at him.

'_What have I done?_'

Hinata was sobbing hysterically, "It's your fault! All your fault! They're dead…all dead…my friends…K…Kiba-kun…dead…"

She trailed off as the fight seemed to leave her, wailing pitifully and burying her face in her hands.

"Hinata…"

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!! KIBA-KUN'S DEAD! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!"

Before Hiashi could reply, Dr. Ichidou came rushing into the room.

"What happened?" He asked, taking in Hinata's appearance and frowning as the teen began rocking slowly, hugging her knees to her chest, her entire body shaking with her distressed sobs.

"I…I…" Hiashi stammered, too shaken up to respond.

The doctor gently led him out of the room, "Why don't you come back later, after we've calmed her down some?"

All Hiashi could do was nod numbly. He knew that he was never going back. He had screwed up, and his daughter was never going to forgive him. He was never going to forgive himself.

It was only when he was left alone in the hallway of a hospital while doctors tried to calm down his hysterical daughter did he let his tears fall.

'_What have I done?_'

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Takashi felt his heart ache as he gazed down at the girl they had rescued. Dr. Ichidou had allowed the trio to visit her once they had calmed her down after her father's visit. The girl – Hinata – was sleeping peacefully now, a result of the sedatives she had been given.

"I feel so bad," Kyoko whispered, a sad frown marring her face, "If we had only gotten to the camp faster…"

"Hey, none of this is our fault," Daisuke protested, "There's nothing more we could have done."

"Besides," Takashi added, pulling Kyoko into a one-armed embrace, "We got there in time to save her."

"I know," Kyoko sighed, "I just wish…"

"I know," Takashi said, "But we did the best we could. You know that."

They stood in silence, watching the young teenager sleep for an immeasurable amount of time. Takashi didn't know why, but he felt like he had a responsibility to be there, by her bedside. Apart from Hinata, only he, Kyoko, and Daisuke really knew what went down at the camp. Of course, Hinata knew the specifics, but Takashi and his friends knew more than anyone ever would.

Hinata shifted in her bed so that her back was facing the trio. Takashi took this as a sign for them to leave. She was a strong girl, and though Takashi felt a need to remain by her side to make sure that she recovered, he knew that she would pull through. He nodded to Kyoko and Daisuke and led them out of the room.

Before he closed the door behind him, he turned back to the huddled figure on the bed and murmured a quick prayer for the girl's speedy recovery.

He turned off the light and closed the door, following his friends down the hallway and out of Hinata's life.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

Hinata was alone when she woke up.

At least, she thought she was. The large grey blurs that moved silently beside her bed seemed far away and irrelevant. She closed her eyes and turned to her side so that her back was to the distant figures.

It didn't really make any difference as to what the shapes were.

She was alone.

Her friends were gone. Kiba was gone. And it was her father's fault. She could never go home. She had lost her cousin and, in a way, she had lost her father. There was nothing left for her at school. There was nothing left for her at home.

She was alone.

"Kiba-kun…" She whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Her room darkened and the figures left.

She was alone.

She closed her eyes.

'_Hinata…_'

Her eyes snapped open, "Kiba-kun?"

He was there, standing by her bedside, a luminous glow emanating from him, brightening the room. He smiled and ran a gentle hand through her hair, his dark eyes glittering with life.

Fresh tears escaped Hinata's eyes as she reached out to him. Their hands met, their fingers intertwining.

"I love you," She whispered, "I love you so much."

He smiled warmly and suddenly she was on her feet, her faces mere inches away from his.

"I love you too," Kiba murmured, a small amount of sadness in his eyes.

Hinata glanced back at her prone body and the realization hit her. She was surprised, however, at the lack of grief she felt. Kiba's breath caught and she turned back to him, smiling and kissing him gently, hoping that the sadness written across his face would disappear. He melted into the kiss, all traces of his sorrow gone.

They eventually pulled apart and Hinata threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I love you," She repeated, her voice slightly muffled.

"I love you too," He replied, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

And she smiled for the first time since his death, losing herself in his warm embrace. She didn't care about what she was leaving behind. There was nothing left for her anyway. All she cared about was the boy before her and the promise of an eternity to spend with him. She closed her eyes and pulled him closer.

And, for the first time in a long time, she was truly and completely happy.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, there you have it! I know that when I said there would be a happy ending, most of you had something else in mind. But, I want to point out that the ending, though sad, is still happy! I guess bitter-sweet would be the best way to describe it. Yes, Hinata died, but, think about it, she gets to be with Kiba forever now! :D

My reasoning for this ending:

In all honesty, I thought it was much kinder than making both Kiba and Hinata live to pick up the pieces after everything that happened at the camp. No one, and I mean no one, comes out of something so traumatic without being seriously messed up in the heaf. Their recovery, even if they were together, would have been long and painful. So, I killed them both so that they could 'live' happily-ever-after in death. Forgive me if this seems harsh, but I found it to be much more kind in the end.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! I have 92 as of now, think you can get me to 100? That would be the coolest thing ever! :D

Thanks for reading!!


	13. Epilogue

**A/N:**

Truth be told, I actually forgot about the epilogue!! I was busy with some other plot bunnies for some other fandoms (seeing as this story's done, I need something else to work on) xD Sorry about that!

It's pretty short, but I think it's long enough to tie up all loose ends (or at least, all I could think of that were important).

I'm so sorry that I haven't gotten the chance to reply to everyone's reviews! I managed to get through to some people, but my teachers decided to dump my class with a crap-load of work, and all of my free time has been taken up by sleeping, quite honestly. So if I haven't replied, hang in there becuase I'll get to it as soon as I can!

Thank you so much to BoxingBunny, xSugaryTearsx, elviella, DaEarthAngel13, kibahina-narusaku4ever, Sonia_Amane, ShadowOfAShinobi, SilverWolfStar, Byzantea, , Death-Angel-of-Anime, xKonanXbluex, lovepeacebre, and GingerSnapDragons for reviewing the last chapter! I love you guys! Remind me not to read your reviews in public, they made me squeal like a little girl and I was getting some strange looks from people, hahaha.

Enjoy the epilogue!

Disclaimer: Do I really even need to put one anymore?

* * *

**Running Scared**

Epilogue

His car rolled to a stop as he reached the end of the road. Even after the fire, the debris that had initially blocked the path could not be removed. The city had decided, in light of the numerous deaths that had occurred on the mountain, to leave the road as it was. He would have to finish his journey on foot.

It only took him about an hour to hike to the camp's main clearing, or, what was left of it. In the past five years, the forest had grown back at an incredible rate. There were still plenty of bare spots, places where trees had once stood, but the bushes and grass had reappeared and the forest was looking just as green as it had before the fire. As for the camp, there was barely anything that gave away its former existence. All that was left was the south wall of the cafeteria, scorched and flaking away, but still standing.

He made his way over to the wall and touched it, feeling the coarse wood under his fingers. It had been exactly five years. Five long years since he lost everything to this camp. Hyuuga Hiashi would never forgive himself for letting this happen. It was his fault that so many people had died over the years. It was his fault that his nephew and his daughter had died horrifying deaths. His fault. All his fault.

"Hiashi…" A voice behind him whispered.

He turned slowly, knowing who would be there, and wasn't disappointed. "Sachiko," He breathed, a sense of numbness overtaking him.

She looked nothing like the beautiful young girl Hiashi had known. Had killed. Her long hair was matted and tangled, her eyes gouged out, and her mouth sewn shut. She was wearing the same dress she had worn to the dance, but now it was tattered and bloody.

"You've come," She said simply, though her mouth never moved.

Hiashi swallowed, "I have."

"Why?"

"I need to make amends for what I've done."

"No, why?" There was something in her voice that Hiashi couldn't place.

"Why what?" He asked.

"Why?" Was all she said.

His brow furrowed as he thought. _Why what_? Then, it hit him. It was a mixture of sorrow and anger that he was hearing.

"Because you were everything I ever wanted, and the one thing I could never have," He said, trying to explain, "I wanted you to love me. I _needed_ you to love me. But you didn't. And it tore me apart. I was angry, I was hurt. I lost control. It was never supposed to go so far. I didn't…it wasn't…I…" He was surprised to find tears on his cheeks.

_What have I done?_

The question reverberated in his mind over and over again, as it had for the past fifty-five years. As it had since he had murdered her.

_I've destroyed her life, the lives of countless others, and my own life. I have destroyed everything_.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"Sorry? _Sorry_?" Sachiko snarled, "I was kind to you! I never did anything to intentionally hurt you! You killed me. You raped me. You left me here. For fifty-five years, I have haunted this God-forsaken place, and you never came. And now you come crawling back to say _sorry_?"

"I know," Hiashi gasped out, "It doesn't fix anything. I know."

"Then why are you here?"

"I told you. To make amends."

"Saying 'sorry' won't cut it."

"I know. But you need my blood to leave right? Here I am. Take it. It's yours."

She faltered slightly, "What?"

"Kill me. That's the only thing that can set you free, right?"

"You came here to ask me to kill you?"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with all of those people over the past fifty-five years! Including my daughter!"

She snorted, "Oh, I'm not hesitating. I'm just surprised. Usually, people scream and beg me to spare them. You come and calmly ask me to run you through with my knife. It's precious really."

"It's my fault that Hinata and Neji are dead. I owe them this. I owe you this."

"Yes you do," She agreed coldly.

"Then what are you waiting for? Kill me!"

She smirked, which only twisted her face even more. Before Hiashi could blink, her butcher knife was buried to the hilt in his chest. He coughed painfully, feeling blood dribble down his chin. His chest was on fire, but beneath the pain he could feel the numbness. His death would be quick, unlike hers had been.

"I know…it doesn't…make anything better," He whispered, "But I…I am t…truly sorry f…for what I did."

Sachiko watched the light leave his eyes and slowly pulled her knife from his chest. He slumped limply to the ground. Hyuuga Hiashi was dead. She watched excitedly as his blood mingled with the grass, staining the green with red. It was the fifty-fifth anniversary of her death, and she now had the blood she needed to be set free. Kneeling down beside the fallen man, she dipped her fingers into the sticky liquid.

A bright light split the sky, hurting her eyes. She dropped her gaze to the crimson puddle forming around her and gasped. The beautiful face of her teenage self peered back, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with life and her hair long and healthy. Her wounds were gone as well as any trace of blood on her body. She stood up again and found herself facing Hiashi's spirit. He was staring at her with astonishment.

"Thank you," She whispered, feeling her first true smile in over fifty years break across her face.

He locked eyes with her and nodded.

Then, they were both gone, as if they had never existed.

*K*I*B*A*H*I*N*A*

"Daisuke! Get your lazy ass up here before I drag you up by your hair!" Kyoko yelled over her shoulder, adjusting her backpack.

Takashi chuckled beside her, "Impatient much?"

"We're only about fifteen minutes away," She replied, "I want to get there before it gets dark."

"You sure you don't want to take this as an opportunity to rest for a bit?" He asked, eyeing his wife's pregnant belly.

"I swear, if you ask me that one more time…" She grumbled. But catching the worried look in her husband's eyes, she softened, "I'm fine. Really. Stop worrying so much."

He grinned sheepishly, "Can't help it. Someone as crazy as you carrying our baby? How can I not worry?"

She punched him good-naturedly, "I know. It's a shame you couldn't be the one giving birth."

He laughed, "Somehow I have a feeling that that wouldn't work too well."

"It's official," Daisuke said, appearing behind them, "You guys are the weirdest people I have ever met. You should definitely not be reproducing. Ever."

"Oh don't worry baby, Uncle Daisuke didn't mean it," Kyoko cooed, rubbing her stomach, "He's just jealous that he hasn't found someone special."

"Shut up," Daisuke quipped, unable to hide his grin, "Pregnant or not, I will kick your ass."

"Pregnant or not, I'm pretty sure she'll kick yours," Takashi teased.

Daisuke rolled his eyes, "Well, Mrs. Impatient, I'm here now, so let's get going. Unless you're too tired."

"Me? You're the one we were waiting for!"

Takashi poked Kyoko's stomach, "Baby, you better grow up to be like you're dad. I need someone cool to hang out with."

Kyoko swatted his hand away, "Stop doing that. I'm not an animal in a petting zoo."

"What? Doing this?" He rubbed both his hands over her stomach.

She giggled and pushed him away, "Seriously! Let's just get going."

Takashi relented and led the group onward. Kyoko's calculations were accurate and they reached their destination about fifteen minutes later.

"Wow," Daisuke breathed, taking in the scenery around them.

"The forest has really grown back fast," Kyoko said.

Takashi merely nodded, his eyes scanning their surroundings. It had been five years exactly since they had pulled Hyuuga Hinata from the terrible fire that had destroyed Camp Ayakashi. Over the years, the forest had grown back quickly. If it hadn't been for the scorched wall that was still standing on one side of the clearing, there would have been no way to tell that there had ever been a camp there.

"Do you think it's still haunted?" Daisuke asked, tensing slightly.

"No," Kyoko replied, "There haven't been any deaths here since the camp burned down.

"That might just be because no one ever comes up here anymore," Daisuke pointed out.

"I'm sure it's fine," Takashi said, "Why don't we set up our tents? If we're still alive by then, I think it's safe to spend the night."

"Funny," Daisuke muttered, beginning to look for a flat place to pitch his tent.

Just as Takashi suspected, they were still alive by the time both tents were pitched and Daisuke had managed to get a campfire burning. The sun had just begun to set, casting a beautiful orange and pink glow across the trees. No demented ghost popped out of the woods, no knife-wielding zombies stumbled into the clearing. The forest was peaceful. The birds were singing and every once and awhile they could see the movement of animals in the undergrowth. The haunting of Camp Ayakashi was over.

Takashi draped an arm across Kyoko's shoulders and pulled her close. It had taken them five years to work up the courage to return to the camp. At first, he hadn't wanted anything to do with the place, but Kyoko had argued that they needed some form of closure, as the numerous deaths at the camp had been haunting them. Daisuke had agreed and, here they were.

"I'm glad we came," He told her, placing a gentle kiss on her head.

"Me too," She agreed, snuggling up against his chest.

He grinned and buried his nose in her hair, enjoying the closeness.

"Hey lovebirds!" Daisuke called, ruining the mood.

"What?" Takashi asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Daisuke grinned like a little kid, "Want to tell ghost stories?"

Takashi stared dumbly at his younger friend before throwing his head back and laughing. Kyoko and Daisuke joined him and soon all three were in hysterics. Ten or so minutes later, when they all had regained their composure, Takashi felt tears on his face. Happy tears.

They still had no real idea about what horrors had taken place at the camp, and they didn't want to know. But it was over now. It was really over. And, for the first time since Takashi had agreed to go help unblock the road at the camp after the storm, he felt at peace.

* * *

**A/N:**

And there you have it! Running Scared is OFFICIALLY over! Thanks for coming along for the ride! I hope you had as much fun as I did xD

Do any of you watch the show Supernatural? I've recently become obsessed with it and I've already started writing my first story for it. If any of you are interested, keep an eye out for the new story in the next week or so. If not...if you like hot boys and scary ghost things, check it out. It's AMAZING!!!

You don't really have to review this, but your feedback is always loved and appreciated!

Thanks for reading! :D


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